Vortex

I knew nothing at all about this film going in, and you should know nothing as well. This gift of a film screened and my local film festival (FNC 2021) followed by a late night screening of "LVX ÆTERNA", and "VORTEX" was definitely my favorite of the two. My friend who told me the festival also said that Gaspar Noé's last film would be screening and it triggered a "Vietnam flashback" to my first experience watching "CLIMAX", with psychedelic visual and a killer soundtrack, and I'm not going to lie that was what I was expecting from VORTEX. However, Gaspar presented us with a quiet, contemplative piece of cinema that I believe is nothing less than a love-letter to cinema and filmmaking itself. Bravo Gaspar!

Well, I've been thinking about this one for a week or so. It's an incredibly special film and, to my knowledge, a very singular one. I've never seen such a realistic death-focused movie in my life. Though it has Gaspar Noe's signature bleakness, it is completely unlike everything else he's made, and feels much more humble. Though he's mentioned the correlation in interviews, it feels very clear that his own near-death experience (brain hemorrhaging a couple years back) shifted his heart in a sense. This is easily Noe's most heartfelt film.

Of course, this film is NOT for everyone. Aside from the bleakness of the experience itself, it also runs in what feels like real-time. Even for me, there were segments that were challenging to stay with because they were so slow, but in the end, it's all made with such great intent and vision that I think I might appreciate some of those sluggish scenes even more upon a second viewing. I mean, of COURSE it's slow, you are living in the shoes of an old married couple in their 80's during the last few months of their life!

I don't think I have ever seen a split screen implemented so effectively in a movie. I often found myself fascinated by the fact that when you have two ultra slow sequences occurring in each of the split screens, it adds up to one perfectly "normally" paced experience. And, all I will say is that, the split screen seems to take on more and more artistic purpose as the film goes on.

The acting performances from both leads are absolutely astonishing. As a diehard fan of Dario Argento's entire cinematic universe for the last 20 years, I have never seen him act in anything and had no idea what to expect from him in Vortex. He pretty much blew my mind - what he brings to the film is more warm and endearing than anything - in fact it is one of the most touching performances I have seen in years. Of course, this all leads to a high level of effectiveness when it comes time for his character to focus on what is the opposite of such light feelings. It comes as no surprise that the Italian maestro of murder cinema is capable of one of the most believable portrayals of death-centric scenarios when he's placed in front of the camera. This has truly brought the Argento legacy to a whole other level. And then we have the incredible Francoise Lebrun who truly makes the whole movie what it is - her portrayal of dementia is just beyond. It does not feel like you are watching a movie - it truly feels like you are LIVING in the realm of the real thing. It is hard to put into words beyond that. She deserves the highest of accolades.

There is so much to say about this film but I will leave it at that. Gaspar's genius seems to know No(e) bounds. It is definitely some form of masterpiece - the only reason I am giving it 9 instead of 10 is because it is simply not FUN to watch - it's grueling, of course! I hope that Noe has at least a couple more up his sleeve. I will watch his films until he himself is gone! Everything he makes!

A slow moving, disturbing, and emotionally powerful cinematic experience. Gaspar really doesn't disappoint, as this film packs some of the most potent performances in any of his previous films, Dario Argento, François Lebrun and Alex Lutz do a surprisingly amazing job performing. The split screen used in the film's visuals are wonderfully implemented with a clear artistic purpose, the film is incredibly well shot and though the pacing is very slow it never feels dull whatsoever. The disturbing moments are much more subtle and quiet when compared to Noe's previous works, though their subtlety doesn't hinder these moments whatsoever. The dialogue is wonderful, every bit of human drama between these characters feels like it was ripped right out of reality with how raw every second is, at points it feels like I'm watching a documentary rather than a drama.

My main issues lie with the film's narrative feeling a little scatter-brained and random, a few plot threads feel picked up and dropped without much development and though I appreciate the use of empty scenes that feel like nothingness as a way to illustrate how our lives are made up of 50% nothingness, there's a point where those additions aren't needed anymore.

Intimate, haunting, quiet, and sad with very raw and incredible performances by the two main characters. It's very slow but the unique transitions paired with the split screen keeps your eyes constantly darting around trying to take in everything which at times isn't much at all. I have to admit this was uncomfortably long and it didn't completely sink in until the very final scene. Getting old is so scary.

Even by Noe's standards, Vortex is truly unflinching and horrifically brutal, and does so without showing the sorts of extreme sexual and/or violent content that can often be found in his other films.

There's no real optimism or sentimentality. This film is just "getting old is horrible and here's what can happen" with no filter. The characters are similarly honest- Dario Argento's character is asked how his wife is. He bluntly replies "Not good." His character's son echoes a similar sentiment.

It takes a similar premise to 2012's Amour yet makes it even more impactful. It uses a bolder stylistic decision too, which I won't spoil here (I think it kind of works. It makes some moments extra devastating, but I couldn't always work out its explicit purpose on a scene to scene basis).

While it's definitely not a fun or fast-paced movie, 142 minutes passed by surprisingly quick, which I think speaks to how absorbing and well-acted it is. It may well be Gaspar Noe's best film so far.