NEW MOVIE SPOTLIGHT: Lars Von Trier’s Nymphomaniac (NSFW)


Every Friday we spotlight a buzz-worthy new movie opening in Philadelphia.

Name: Nymphomaniac, Vol. 1
Genre: Erotic Drama/Art House
Logline: My Dinner With Andre meets I Am Curious (Yellow)

Quick Review: Arthouse provocateur Lars Von Trier has made another of his unique creations — this one split into two parts (Vol. 2 will be released shortly) incorporating extensive discussion of fly casting, Bach’s polyphony, the winter buds of Ash trees, and a great deal of extremely graphic sex — from oral to anal, and much in between. His muse is once again Charlotte Gainsbourg, whose bloodied and bedraggled character is found by a kindly older man (played by Stellen Skarsgaard) lying on the street near his apartment. He takes her in and nurtures her back to health as she tells him the story of her sexual addiction, and how it has somehow taken her to this point in her life. Divided into chapters, she begins to recant the events of her life that she believes prove she is a horrible person, whilst he demurs and continues to find her a sympathetic soul. It’s a bit like “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” as dictated by Anaïs Nin.

Best Element: Say what you want about Von Trier, the extremely talented director of such disturbingly brilliant films as Dogville, Breaking the Waves, and Melancholia, but the man knows how to create an atmosphere. This film manages to pack information about esoteric subjects, essentially an extended running dialogue between two people, and still make it fascinating.

Worst Element: …he’s also liable to step over your boundaries in the process. Among many other things, the film features a sudden montage of ugly dick shots, a jaguar holding a live deer in its jaws, and the wiping of Christian Slater’s soiled butt. Still interested?

Sample Dialogue: “To begin with the bait, I discovered my cunt as a two-year-old.”

Should I See It?: If you are prepared for the Von Trier experience, by all means, but in case the idea of seeing such graphic material in front of a theater crowded with strangers feels peculiar, you should know it’s already available on VOD with many cable providers.

Playing now at Ritz East.