Climax

I always feel excited and a little bit anxious watching a new film by French director Gaspar Noe. His past films have have included the controversial "Irreversible" known for its unflinching and brutal portrayal of sexual violence, the mind bending and psychedelic trip that is "Enter the Void" and the erotic drama "Love" which features unsimulated sex presented in 3D. Noe is pushing the limits for not only what Is allowed to be shown in a film but also for what the film medium is capabale of. Unconventional narrative structures, mind bending visuals and camera angles you wouldn't even dream of. These are just a few things that can be found in his films.

I am happy to say that Climax may be Noe's tamest film in terms of its sex and violence. And I am very excited to say that it may also be the best film he has made yet. I feel that it's best to know as little as possible about the film before seeing it to have the best possible experience. What I will say though is that the film grips you from the start, and only tightens that grip throughout the running time. The film makes use of one location and one situation and one set of characters to put you in the moment. The excitement and exuberance that you feel during the first dance sequence which is shot entirely in one take will change and evolve throughout the film into sequences that are much more frightening and intense. Go along for the ride though because it is a unique work of filmmaking worth seeing in a cinema and if you hold on tight, you may experience something that is close to an outer body experience.

As an exercise in pure viscera, Argentine provocateur Gaspar Noé mostly pleases with Climax. A group of dancers unknowingly drink spiked sangria which slowly warps their afterparty into an LSD-soaked nightmare. With a premise like that, it may be evident that this is a film meant to be experienced rather than thought about. The pleasures of Climax come nearly entirely from its sheer audiovisual power: the ceaselessly pulsating score, the fluid one-shot takes, the lurid colors. It's closer to performance art than what most people would characterize as a "movie" and should be approached with that mindset if you're to enjoy it. However, as enjoyable as its best sequences are, the lack of nearly any thematic depth imbues much of the film with a subtly nagging tediousness. And even when viewed purely from an experiential perspective, it is far from watertight in its pacing and flow. Still, there is a cumulative power in its sound, visuals, and theatrics that's hard to deny.

Weak 3.5/5

Love it or hate it, this film is technically astonishing and whatever it's trying to do, it's doing it very well. It's almost like they've trapped the true essence of French Extremism, set it on fire, and followed it with a steady cam.

The camera work in this is surreal and its movements, along with the actors' choreography, are surprisingly well coordinated for a "write-as-we-go" film.

Climax will make you feel a lot of things and I don't think you're going to like how most of those things feel, but that's exactly what makes Climax a very well executed horrifying experience.

Had many expectations before watching this "art" movie... However, I was left dumbstruck with the "salad" of shocker put all together in such a mainstream movie going for an arthouse movie. Tackles and puts in your face too many taboos and (still?) controversial issues such as homosexuality, abortion, rape, incest, drugs and so on. Lacks an intriguing story in my opinion. Visual mambo-jumbo and musical hysteria! Watch it if you don't have anything else better to do... Such a pity the soundtrack is so cool and rich in 70s and 80s electro and disco hits and wasted on such a flick!

"Climax" is less of a film than it is a visceral experience, and that will immediately turn off a good population of moviegoers who will invariable dismiss it as "artsy garbage." If you're one of these people who can't stand films made by "artsy" directors, what are you even doing going to see a Gaspar Noé movie?

But whew. If you appreciate film or dance, you are going to be blown away by this masterpiece. This is "Step Up" on crack cocaine.

A group of young people who subscribe to an underground dance culture meet for a three-day weekend of intense rehearsal. On the final night, during their closing party, someone spikes the sangria, and well....best not to say much more.

The first 45-60 minutes of the film are made up of impeccably choreographed dance sequences that had my eyes glued to the screen like I had just rail-lined a bunch of Ritalin. Some may call this "boring" but I found it to be electrifying and mesmerizing. The music in the film is constant, like you're watching it in a nightclub instead of a theater. Electronic powerhouses such as Thomas Bangalter, Giorgio Moroder, and Aphex Twin contribute to the dazzling soundtrack. After the first dance sequence, which lasts about 10-15 minutes, I wanted to stand up and applaud. Then I forgot that I was in a movie theater.

I especially enjoyed the cast of characters, which reminded me so much of my days doing musical theater in high school. If you've done performing arts in either high school or college, you will appreciate "Climax" on an entirely different level. The awkward politics of being in such a troupe come out in full force -- while everyone is generally nice to one another, rivalries and furious envy exist in the shadows, in addition to cutthroat attitudes and the occasional best friend / power couple dynamic. When things go wrong after the sangria is spiked, these politics are blown up into a larger than life spectacle. It was a neurotic joy to watch unfold.

And boy do things get wild. The key theme once the action begins is pure, unadulterated panic. Gaspar Noé's trademark direction brings us back to the chaotic, irregularly lit sequences seen in "Irreversible." The action is so dense. Some keep dancing. Some commit acts of violence. Some have passionate sex on the dance floor. Your eyes and senses are overwhelmed and you have no idea where to look, until a fast camera pan takes you to a completely different part of the room.

Speaking of which, the cinematography is top notch (although that's a running theme in Noé's repertoire). You've got all kinds of shots here -- dutch angles, long cuts that contribute to the chaos, even slow inversions that make you feel as if you are in a fun house at the Jersey Shore. It's incredibly disorienting, nauseating, and a whole lot of fun.

While watching, I also noticed a lot of similarities to Aronofsky's "Black Swan." If you enjoyed that one, definitely check out "Climax."

The ending of the film seems less complete than it should, but it's really no big deal, and does not spoil or ruin the rest of the film.

This is one roller coaster I'd happily ride again, and I'd say it is destined to become a midnight cult classic. Keep on dancing.