Did you know that when movies are made in other countries, the characters don't speak English? It's shocking but true. This movie, being made with French actors, is NOT in English, but instead is in another language (specifically French). I have a point. I swear. This movie has a reputation among the snobby horror/exploitation fans I hang out with, and they have all insisted that I must see it, so I was eager to do so but was unable to get my hands on it until I managed to borrow a copy from a friend after longing to see it for years. My friend's copy wasn't a region 1 release which meant I couldn't play it on my DVD player and I'd have to use my computer, but I didn't think much of it until I put the movie in
and realized it didn't have English subtitles. I knew right then that I was in for a long ride.

I knew this movie was going to be rough to watch, and it would be a lot to wade through even if I knew what the characters were saying... not having subtitles added another obstacle to what was already a difficult sit, and to be honest with you, a lot of people wouldn't have been able to take it. I mean that as a compliment. The movie is horribly disorienting. First, it's told from end to beginning kind of like the movie Memento, but even Memento has a pattern and
it's easier to figure out what's going on if you pay attention. In Irreversible, the movie is simply shot from end to beginning so the beginning is the end, the next scene comes before that (not after) and so on. Had I not known that coming in, I would have been very confused. Second, the camera doesn't just “shake” in this movie, it whirls crazily as though the cameraman tied a lasso around the camera and swung it around up and down in circles until the audience wants to throw up, and then the camera calms down and focuses and the audience is relieved until they realize that the camera is focusing on some truly horrible acts of violence. I was fascinated with the violence trying to figure out how it was done (it looks so real) but trust me, that's just because I'm twisted.

And with the movie being told from end to beginning, the final scenes (actually the beginning) are even more difficult to watch because we watch the three main characters going about their lives and the rape victim happy and carefree in a way she will never be again. Somehow, with all the violence we've witnessed thus far in the film, the ending is even more difficult to watch because the woman, played by Monica Bellucci, is so beautiful and we know that soon her face will be beaten in until it is almost unrecognizable. Gaspar Noé, the director, is a genius. Somehow he knew that structuring the movie in this way would make it even more effective. I never realized until this experience how much I rely on subtitles to the detriment of the movie I'm watching. With this movie I was forced to pay close attention to the actors, their facial expressions and tone of voice t know what was going on because I couldn't understand what they were saying. Had there been subtitles I would have relied mostly on the dialogue as represented there and I would have missed a lot of the performances. There's some great acting on display in this film.

Vincent Cassel is superb as the hotheaded lover who jumps into everything feet first and doesn't think about the consequences, and Albert Dupontel is great as the calmer, more levelheaded friend who serves as the rock for his friends as his emotions remain hidden behind his eyes until boiling over in an explosively violent fashion. The violent scenes are riveting as they grab out attention from the get go and they serve as our introduction to the characters. If the film had been told in a traditional linear fashion we would already know the characters well by the time the violence erupts, but as the movie stands we have no idea what's going on (if we're coming into the movie blind that is; I knew everything that was going to happen before it happened because this movie is so celebrated that its fans seem eager to spoil everything that happens once they find out that you haven't seen it... as I said, in my case that foreknowledge helped me overcome the hurdles I had because of the lack of subtitles) but I can assure you, there's plenty in this movie to shock you even if you know it's coming. I knew who was going to be killed, how and why, but I was still surprised at who did the killing and it gave me some insights into that character that intrigued me. I knew about the rape, when it happened, how and where and who did it, but it's still violent and disgusting and hard to watch.

This is one movie that lives up to the hype... in fact, it's one of the rare movies that's even better than people say it is. True to their sick nature, all the exploitation movie fans talk about the violent acts in the movie but they neglect to mention some other surprises that happen throughout the course of the film that I didn't expect. It would have
been nice and helpful to have subtitles for the scenes where the friends are hanging out and talking because I desperately wanted to know what they were saying, but the key scenes in the movie don't actually require dialogue. Given the graphic violence, the great acting and the superbly disorienting camera work, this movie isn't comfortable or easy to watch (and I recommend finding a copy with subtitles) but there is much to appreciate here. I'm still raving about it and discussing it with people now, months after watching it. I think that speaks for itself. See this movie, be disturbed, come away shaken, but whatever you do, don't miss it.

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