Antichrist

Thought-provoking, cinematically daring, and very depressing, but at its core it’s as cold as a penguin’s butt and its highly irritating execution is not easy to digest. Lars von Tier goes really far, so far that he often breaks reasonable boundaries and his creative excesses are bound to divide the audience into two groups. I tried to come to terms with his style, but despite some truly impressive scenes and an uncomfortable atmosphere, I couldn't overcome the detachment and long-windedness of his narration and I couldn’t even partially enjoy the film. Definitely a disappointment that even the otherwise excellent Willem Dafoe could not reverse. 50% (12/05/2012)

Lars’ Antichrist isn’t the type of movie that you can choose to like or not like. The themes of loss and obsession are nothing too unusual, but the approach is. It releases everything evil, low and mistaken and serves as a mirror for people, mirroring the last remaining love and goodness inside them. The effort to shock is spoiled a little by the elegant psychological game that the only two actors play - Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg - while it is not there without reason and is meant to stir the viewers from their lethargy. And quite successfully, judging by their reactions. So, no, I wouldn’t say that I liked it, but I can strongly recommend it to all those who love human-interest stories, because this drama is certainly worth seeing. (11/10/2014)

This film is about as much of a horror as Bergman's Hour of the Wolf. The stunning metaphor of the decay of man and woman uses satanic properties only to underline the traditional concept of evil, the source of which Lars von Trier provocatively places in the soul of woman. In a time of correctness, his almost inquisitorial rhetoric is a revelation from hell, but it is supported by an absolutely perfect film form. After dry theatrical productions, we have the Trier-aesthete once again, which indulges in the raw images of "Paradise", in the raw studies of perfectly authentic actors. I don't know what made Trier confuse a selfless woman for a satanic woman, but I clearly rank the resulting film as one of the most captivating intimate dramas. To be offended means not to understand. Antichrist is not shallow - the audience that laughs at him and condemns him is shallow. (11/23/2009)

Antichrist is a difficult film, but it is also interesting, bold, provocative and incredibly visually compelling. However, connecting to it emotionally is more of an art than the film itself. Instead of the never-ending analyzing of the female protagonist’s mind, it would have been better to focus solely on the relationship of the couple in the given stage of their lives or take a look into their respective pasts. That is, if the film was made for some kind of audience. (12/06/2009)

After all the controversy around Antichrist, the film itself is quite surprising, or rather, its contents are. In terms of filmmaking, I’m truly fascinated, I’ve watched the prologue five times already and I don’t think I will see anything better this year, but the contents of the film bothered me a little. I didn’t like the transition to the last act, some scenes are too gratuitous and there were moments that I thought could have gone deeper. Basically, the effect wasn’t as intense as I wanted or expected. Even ordinary exploitation horror can sometimes make me feel worse psychically. (10/16/2009)