Lux Æterna

Possibly the film in which Gaspar Noé most clearly shows his concept of cinema. The shooting is hell, even more than the staging. The need to challenge the comfort of the viewer (in the images and in the narration) is again present, in the different points of view. His vision surrounds the campaign of a fashion brand with mystery, which continues with the short film "Summer of '21" (2020), starring Charlotte Rampling. Only a director like Gaspar Noé can turn witches into Yves Saint Laurent models. "Sexocide: the genocide of the witches".

As a fan of Gaspar Noé, I enjoy his movies even when I feel sick of what I see in his movies. I'm also pretty sure that the most catchy element of his movies is the visuals. So far, i've seen his every feature films except Love. Climax, Irreversible and Enter the Void, which are mostly the favorites of the audience, achieved giving fancy visuals. Strangely, visuals of Lux Aeterna does not make you satisfied since the story leads to literally nowhere worthy. Instead, this time Gaspar Noé tries to introduce a point of view to role of woman in film industry and also in history. I can say that he does it well. Lux Aeterna is a "must watch" for Noé fans because in every second you will feel the style of Gaspar Noé. But if you are not a fan, this movie is a pure boredom and agony.

Even with this short runtime, the movie is stressful work, its overly pretentious, nearly a self-parody. The last minutes are just suffering for viewers and characters. Its bland and overly symbolic, does not create any character arc, every one of the characters is just a cut out paper, not even two dimensional. L'art pour l'art, right? But in this case, its just artificial. Meaningless. And the worst: It does not entertain. Not one moment.

I support the evolution of art. In order for things to move forward, you need provocateurs to rock the foundation of what's deemed acceptable. Art made strictly to appeal to what already works is boring. Lvx Æterna embodies the rebellious spirit of creation, even if the results are borderline unwatchable.

Opening on a rambling conversation that lasts far too long then moving to a perplexing split screen where multiple scenes play simultaneously, often including different dialogue in different languages, all before a seizure inducing assault of light and sound. Gaspar Noé is screaming in your face, daring you to turn off his movie, and whether you do or not, you can't deny it's visceral impact.

The man is off in his own stratosphere, there really are no peers or precedents for this aesthetic. While his other work may offer more narrative meat, often coupled by more disturbing violence, this one seems to be a pure, unrefined shot of the disorienting bliss he's known for.

Like many forms of extreme music that seem to exist for the express purpose of pushing boundaries, it's a challenging experience that won't be for all tastes or moods. It's just a refreshing reminder that there's still untapped potential for defiant confrontational cinema.

This was a movie that when I saw it was from Gaspar Noé and coming to the Gateway Film Center, it had my attention. Reading through the synopsis and checking the genres, I thought that it could be horror or at least adjacent. It also featured Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg, I was in.

What I should say next is that this isn't a horror film. It does have elements though. This movie is about making a movie. Dalle and Gainsbourg play themselves. The first part is them chatting about different movies and experiences they've been on. They are both in this production that is borrowing from Haxän, which is a documentary/dramatization of witchcraft throughout the ages. This moves into a surreal situation to end the movie as they film the scene with Gainsbourg, Abby Lee and another actor as they're 'burned' at the stake for the movie.

The movie has a feeling of dread. We see that the production of the movie is troubled. Dalle is the elder actor and she butts heads with the director who in turn wants her off the project. He takes this to the executive producer. We have a guy who is trying to pitch an idea of a role in his feature film debut to Gainsbourg and Lee. This annoys both as it is unprofessional. Gainsbourg learns a horrific thing might have happened to her daughter and she is torn what to do. The tension just builds until the climax. It is interesting as well since this runs 51 minutes.

This movie does get some of that Noé flair. He is a bit over the top at times, but I respect his style. The acting is natural as playing caricatures of themselves. The visuals here are amazing. That is the biggest take away for me. I enjoy the message we are conveying here both on the surface and underneath. This won't be for everyone though. This is arthouse. It is short, so keep that in mind. It is an interesting ride for sure.

My Rating: 8 out of 10.