Climax Review/ List of 10 cult films featuring psychedelic drugs
3,8
Climax (2018)
Gaspar Noé
Cast: Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub, Kiddy Smile, Claude Gajan Maull, Giselle Palmer, Taylor Kastle, Thea Carla Schott, Sharleen Temple, Lea Vlamos
Length: 96 min
Country: France
Any Gaspar Noé film should always come with a dozen neon lights warnings and an ambulance waiting outside the cinema for those who have had a seizure. After Irreversible's infamous rape scene, Enter The Void's phallic mind-boggling psychedelic trip, and Love's 3D ejaculation, l"enfant terrible" is back with another deranged nightmarish creation! As you can imagine, this Argentian provocateur has little regard or concern for his audience. The more people walk out, the more he'll be pleased with himself.
This year at Cannes, Noé didn't receive the same disdain he is so accustomed to, but that doesn't make Climax a walk in the park.
The plot can be summarised as simply as "Step Up meets Pasolini's Salò". The camera literally follows a troupe of French hip-hop dancers in a grotty nightclub after someone spiced the sangria with LSD. What seems to start as an uneventful party turns into an immersive allegory of hell which will linger in the viewer's mind way after the screening.
As in Irreversible, the movie opens with its final credits. We see from above a woman covered in blood writhing in the snow. It is a clear warning. It almost seems as if Noé is asking the audience if they feel ready for the ride.
He then voyeuristically introduces us to the characters through the screen of an old square television, where a series of interviews are playing. Dozens of books and videotapes are laying on the shelves around this tv, where Noé meticulously positioned his favourite inspirations which foreshadow what will happen next. Among his collection of tapes, where arthouse meets exploitation horror, we can see Argento, Zulanski, Fulci, Fassbinder, Pasolini and others "naughty boys" of the Seventh Art.
All these influences are recognisable, but Noé makes them his own and creates something flawed, but genuinely unique and avant-garde.
We can quickly notice the bright reds from Suspiria and the orgiastic and sadistic tone from Salò. One scene, in particular, feels like rewatching Isabelle Adjani going ballistic in the underground sequence in Possession. During an extremely long take, the camera follows Sofia Boutella (Hotel Artemis)'s character having a severe mental breakdown which translates into a sort of dance performance. Nothing particularly gory or violent happens, but the scene remains an incredibly disturbing and unsettling display.
Noé's camera work is extraordinary, especially during the second half of the film when the LSD kicks in and the nightmare begins. Noé immediately sets a voyeuristic tone to his creation. It feels like an ominous sadistic (or indifferent) presence is there with these decadent dancers enjoying the show. A significant part of that hallucinatory inferno is shot in one take, pushing the immersive power of filmmaking to its extreme. He tries to convey the same nauseating sense of disorientation that the characters feel, by continuously moving the camera from all angles. This enerving atmosphere reaches its peak when the world turns upside down, and these acrobats look more like vampiresque bats on the ceiling than humans.
Often criticised for being more exercises in style than meaningful pieces of art, Noé's films fail to show much substance behind their shock for shock sake. Whereas this might be the case or not, Noé is one of the few filmmakers working today whose work has no bindings. Even the linear structure is too much of constriction for him and an excuse to provoke his audience (final credits first, beginning credits halfway through and the title at the very climatic end).
If there is something Noé struggles with it is creating the characters. In Climax, in particular, they all feel empty and shallow (which was probably his intention), and I couldn't care less if they all die or not in the end. The first half of the party, when we witness the characters talking into couples about all sort of obscenities, felt tedious and overlong. Maybe, if Noé gave some recognisable traits to his characters, the audience could have sympathised more with them and the second half would have been even more terrifying. Or maybe it's better this way. It was terrifying enough.
Shot in only two weeks, Climax is a hellish cinematic experience, which works perfectly and (maybe) unintentionally as an educational anti-drug movie. Whether you enjoy the ride or not, it's impossible that this film will leave anyone indifferent.
This year at Cannes, Noé didn't receive the same disdain he is so accustomed to, but that doesn't make Climax a walk in the park.
The plot can be summarised as simply as "Step Up meets Pasolini's Salò". The camera literally follows a troupe of French hip-hop dancers in a grotty nightclub after someone spiced the sangria with LSD. What seems to start as an uneventful party turns into an immersive allegory of hell which will linger in the viewer's mind way after the screening.
As in Irreversible, the movie opens with its final credits. We see from above a woman covered in blood writhing in the snow. It is a clear warning. It almost seems as if Noé is asking the audience if they feel ready for the ride.
He then voyeuristically introduces us to the characters through the screen of an old square television, where a series of interviews are playing. Dozens of books and videotapes are laying on the shelves around this tv, where Noé meticulously positioned his favourite inspirations which foreshadow what will happen next. Among his collection of tapes, where arthouse meets exploitation horror, we can see Argento, Zulanski, Fulci, Fassbinder, Pasolini and others "naughty boys" of the Seventh Art.
All these influences are recognisable, but Noé makes them his own and creates something flawed, but genuinely unique and avant-garde.
We can quickly notice the bright reds from Suspiria and the orgiastic and sadistic tone from Salò. One scene, in particular, feels like rewatching Isabelle Adjani going ballistic in the underground sequence in Possession. During an extremely long take, the camera follows Sofia Boutella (Hotel Artemis)'s character having a severe mental breakdown which translates into a sort of dance performance. Nothing particularly gory or violent happens, but the scene remains an incredibly disturbing and unsettling display.
Noé's camera work is extraordinary, especially during the second half of the film when the LSD kicks in and the nightmare begins. Noé immediately sets a voyeuristic tone to his creation. It feels like an ominous sadistic (or indifferent) presence is there with these decadent dancers enjoying the show. A significant part of that hallucinatory inferno is shot in one take, pushing the immersive power of filmmaking to its extreme. He tries to convey the same nauseating sense of disorientation that the characters feel, by continuously moving the camera from all angles. This enerving atmosphere reaches its peak when the world turns upside down, and these acrobats look more like vampiresque bats on the ceiling than humans.
Often criticised for being more exercises in style than meaningful pieces of art, Noé's films fail to show much substance behind their shock for shock sake. Whereas this might be the case or not, Noé is one of the few filmmakers working today whose work has no bindings. Even the linear structure is too much of constriction for him and an excuse to provoke his audience (final credits first, beginning credits halfway through and the title at the very climatic end).
If there is something Noé struggles with it is creating the characters. In Climax, in particular, they all feel empty and shallow (which was probably his intention), and I couldn't care less if they all die or not in the end. The first half of the party, when we witness the characters talking into couples about all sort of obscenities, felt tedious and overlong. Maybe, if Noé gave some recognisable traits to his characters, the audience could have sympathised more with them and the second half would have been even more terrifying. Or maybe it's better this way. It was terrifying enough.
Shot in only two weeks, Climax is a hellish cinematic experience, which works perfectly and (maybe) unintentionally as an educational anti-drug movie. Whether you enjoy the ride or not, it's impossible that this film will leave anyone indifferent.
Movies you might like if you like Climax:
Salò, or 120 days of Sodoma (1975) by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Suspiria (1977) by Dario Argento
Possession (1981) by Andrzej Żuławski
Enter The Void (2009) by Gaspar Noé
Suspiria (1977) by Dario Argento
Enter The Void (2009) by Gaspar Noé
Niche List of the week
10 cult films featuring psychedelic drugs
During the 60's and 70's a massive wave of psychedelic imaginary hit the zeitgeist. Cinema became a portal to represent those transformative experiences that excited, intrigued and scared the popular culture. From Alice in Wonderland to 2001: A Space Odyssey there was a fascination around the lack of boundaries of what the human brain can imagine. Subgenres as Acid Western started to appear, colours in fashion became brighter and more provocative and even music was trying to express altered states of consciousness.
LSD, DMT, mushrooms, mescaline and peyote became a source of inspiration and "research" for many directors. Cinematic trips were often synonyms with anti-war films, counter-culture of the American Dream, search for freedom and spiritual transcendence. Other directors explore the darkest side of the coin, looking on paranoia, trauma, fear and addiction. Some of this creations are as nightmarish as visually attractive.
Crucified goats with dozens of eyes, lizards dressed as Aztec, naked old man with feline heads instead than nipples, bald murderers and fluorescent penises are just some example of what these visionary directors came up with.
Prepare yourself for the ride.
Vincent Price on acid? Yes! Cult horror director William Castle directs legendary Vincent Price in a camp b-movie which will make your spine tingle and giggle. The Tingler follows a pathologist's weirdest discovery: the shivering feeling on our spine when you experience fear is a worm-like creature living in our vertebres and feeding on our anxieties. Since Dr Warren Chapin's mind is extremely pragmatic and logical, he is not easily scared. He will take acid in order to experience nightmarish visions in the name of science.
During the 60's and 70's a massive wave of psychedelic imaginary hit the zeitgeist. Cinema became a portal to represent those transformative experiences that excited, intrigued and scared the popular culture. From Alice in Wonderland to 2001: A Space Odyssey there was a fascination around the lack of boundaries of what the human brain can imagine. Subgenres as Acid Western started to appear, colours in fashion became brighter and more provocative and even music was trying to express altered states of consciousness.
LSD, DMT, mushrooms, mescaline and peyote became a source of inspiration and "research" for many directors. Cinematic trips were often synonyms with anti-war films, counter-culture of the American Dream, search for freedom and spiritual transcendence. Other directors explore the darkest side of the coin, looking on paranoia, trauma, fear and addiction. Some of this creations are as nightmarish as visually attractive.
Crucified goats with dozens of eyes, lizards dressed as Aztec, naked old man with feline heads instead than nipples, bald murderers and fluorescent penises are just some example of what these visionary directors came up with.
Prepare yourself for the ride.
- The Tingler (1957) by William Castle
- The Trip (1967) by Roger Corman
Confusing, ludicrous and far from being a faithful representation of LSD trip (apparently Corman researched by taking LSD himself), The Trip remains a time capsule of the colours, fashion and music from the charming 60's. Directed by Iconic B-Movie Roger Corman and written by none other than Jack Nicholson, The Trip showcases Peter Fonda's psychedelic trip through spiralling lights, juxtaposition of imagines, visions of men on horses, and a washing machines. In the cast a young Dennis Hopper.
- Easy Rider (1969) by Dennis Hopper
One of the most celebrated cult classics from the 60's, Easy Rider is the ultimate counterculture on the road American film. Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda once again reunited in a movie that gives voice to a disaffected generation of outcasts. Accompanied by a phenomenal soundtrack, Easy Rider follows two rebellious bikers crossing the desert in search of "The American Dream." Easy Rider's style can be seen as a cinematic translation of psychedelic experience. Peter Biskind, author of "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" wrote: "LSD did create a frame of mind that fractured experience and that LSD experience had an effect on films like Easy Rider."
- A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) by Luigi Fulci
You can recognise the videotape of Lizard in a Woman Skin among Noé's collection. Lucio Fulci, one of the essential Italian maestros of horror, reached his peak with this iconic psycho-erotic giallo. Set in London, the film follows Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan), daughter of a respected politician, who start experiencing unsettling visions of her taking part in orgies and taking LSD.
In one of the dreams, she commits a murder, and she awakes to a real murder investigation. The movie is famous for the legal case around the graphic scene depicting dead dogs. The director had to prove in court that those dogs where special effect props. It was the first time in film history that an effects artist had to prove his work was not real in a court of law.
- The Holy Mountain (1973) by Alejandro Jodorowski
One of the greatest oddity of the 70's, Jodorowski's masterpiece is the cinematic equivalent of LSD. A visionary, disturbing, overwhelming, mind-blowing, transcendental, life-changing experience, which became the ultimate midnight movie. Produced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Chilean polyhedric visionary Alejandro Jodorowsky put himself under the direction of a Japanese Zen Master, weeks of sleep deprivation and dosage of LSD in preparation for his film. He also administered psilocybin mushrooms to the actors. An astonishing piece of cinema that is impossible to summarise.
- Blue Sunshine (1977) by Jeff Lieberman
An unknown cult horror flick from the 70's reminiscent of Cronenberg's early work. Jeff Lieberman's bizarre film might be a requiem for the hippie dream or anti-drug propaganda. Ten years after taking a particular type of LSD called Blue Sunshine, a group ex-hippies become entirely bald, and a murderous rage invades them. With a premise like that, Blue Sunshine feels like a missed opportunity.
- Altered Stated (1980) by Ken Russell
Another fantastic Ken Russel hallucinatory creation. Altered States is inspired by physician John C. Lilly's sensory deprivation research conducted in isolation tanks under the influence of psychoactive drugs like mescaline, ketamine, and LSD. It also marks the debut of William Hurt and Drew Barrymore. Visually stunning and intense sci-fi take for the "Fish & Chips Fellini", which unfortunately had to dwell on inevitable Hollywood studio constrictions.
- Jacob's Ladder (1991) by Adrian Lyne
One of Robbins's finest performances as he plays Vietnam veteran Jacob Singer. Horrible nightmarish visions and terrifying hallucinations haunt him since the war. He desperately intends to figure out the truth. An unsusual disturbing film for a studio film from the 90's, Jacob's Ladder garnered a cult following over the years, and its haunting imageney inspired the horror video game franchise Silent Hill.
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) by Terry Gilliam
Adapted from Hunter S. Thompson's beloved novel, Fear and Loathing ins Las Vegas is a dark comedy on the road which at its release was welcomed with a negative critical response, but then gained a cult status only with after it came out on DVD. It follows Raul Duke (Johnny Depp) and Dr Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) embarking on a journey under the effect of LSD and mescaline across Los Angeles's desert. A psychedelic Don Quixote.
- Enter The Void (2009) by Gaspar Noé
Probably Noé most ambitious achievement. It's another disturbing immersive movie that pushes the boundaries of what cinema can do. Noé proves to be one the best in translating psychedelic drugs on the screen, as well as, the most profound traumas of his characters. An audio-visual and visceral sensory experience set in neon Tokyo. Oscar is killed after taking DMT; we follow his spirit leaving his body and floating above the streets of Tokyo on a hallucinatory journey between life and death.
Comments
Post a Comment