So far,
only the first part has been released, and overall the full length feature
clocks in at five and a half hours. The cut down version, marketed as the soft-core
version, was edited with Von Triers consent, but without his participation, and
even for a cinemaphile like myself, spending 5 and a half hours watching any
film, would be a little much. Fortunately the film features a surprisingly
natural cutoff point, for the first part, Joe is played in flashbacks by Stacy
Martin, a model, who is a surprisingly talented actress, who manages to hold
the screen and the audience’s attention with a surprising amount of grace and
elegance, and who manages to let us know how she I feeling with only the
smallest of gestures. Charlotte Gainsbourg also delivers, her performance as
Joe is understated and deep, and seeing as she is mostly narrating the film,
she manages to induce so much pain and emotion, using only her voice. Shia
LaBoeuf also stars in this film as Jerome, one of Joe’s many lovers. LaBoeuf
manages to successfully play Jerome first as a fifteen year old boy, and
secondly as a young man, not an easy feat. Uma Thurman also stars as Mrs H, in
a slightly bizarre performance that nonetheless delivers, it is marvelous to
see Thurman in a feature film again, having been absent from our screens for
too long. Overall Nymphomaniac shows that Lars Von Trier really is excellent at
directing actors, and the performances in this film are strong.
Overall the
“present” of the film, takes place in an apartment, with Joe recounting her
story to Seligman, played by Stellan Skarsgaard. The chemistry between these
two actors is palpable, and they manage to play polar opposites, in terms of
temperament and feeling, yet have so much connection. The film is split into
chapters, with the names of the chapters being shown on the screen as in a
novel. These chapters often feature a different tone or visual style than the
others, for instance chapter 4 : Delerium, is entirely in black and white, and
Chapter 3: Mrs H features a different aspect ratio to the other chapters and
the first chapter, titled The Compleat Angler, features numerous analogies to
fishing and flashback to fishing manuals and examples of fishing techniques.
Overall I feel that by changing the visual style of each chapter, Von Trier is
able to keep the film fresh, and stops it from dragging. By segmenting the film
into chapters, Von Trier creates what is essentially a series of interconnected
short stories, tied together by a narrative between Joe and Seligman.
One of the only
real problems I have with this film, is that I don’t really understand what
Lars Von Trier is trying to say about hypersexuality or about female sexuality,
normally not entirely understanding a film isn’t a problem for me, a film can
be enjoyable without being entirely understood, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a good
example of this, however the problem with Nymphomaniac is that I’m not sure
Lars Von Trier knows what he wants to say either, but ive decided that this is
not really a problem, for years filmmakers have made action films that say
absolutely nothing, but that are simply good fun. Nymphomaniac though perhaps
not saying anything explicit of focused about our society or the omniscient
presence of sexuality in the world, instead he is simply exploring this world
with little focus or direction, and the results are startling. Von Trier
creates a film which is an instinctive exploration of female sexuality, and
from which the audience is encouraged to supplement with their own ideas and
conclusions, I like this style of filmmaking, it feels somewhat interactive.
The tagline
for the film is: “Forget About Love”, and the film certainly supports this in
tone and in dialogue, much of Gainsbourg’s monologue is realistic and graphic
in language, and Von Trier doesn’t shy away from the graphic nature of the
work, however the film in its essence is romanticized, Joe recounts only the
most important moments of her life, and many of these moments are subtly
romanticized, Joe is reminded of three lovers she once had by a piece of organ
music featuring three voices by Bach, Joe imagines the visiting the hospital in
black and white during Chapter 4, and she imagines her childhood as an appealing
and idyllic vision, in contrast with the strong, harsh words of her monologue.
The fact that this film is a firsthand account itself tells us that this film
is romanticized, Seligman remarks that Joe often sees herself in a negative
light, and we will never really know how much of the story is true, and how
much is imagined, thus it is reasonable to assume that the film is, in itself a
romanticized version of true events, as a first person always account is.
The term
enjoyed might be a little strong here, as Lars Von Trier might not be the first
person to spring to mind when one thinks of pleasure, however overall I found
Nymphomaniac to be a thrilling watch, gripping and suspenseful, that raises
various questions about female sexuality and our relationship with eroticism,
many of the questions Von Trier asks are projected onto the audience, requiring
us to ask the same questions. Overall a talented cast with a breakout performance
by Stacy Martin and visceral graphic direction make Nymphomaniac a powerful and
deeply insightful watch. Rating: A-
Joe: Perhaps the only difference
between me and other people is that I've always demanded more from the sunset.
More spectacular colors when the sun hit the horizon. That's perhaps my only
sin.
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