Nymphomaniac 1 & 2 - BLU-RAY

Von Trier is known for pushing the emotional limits of his audience. Like his other works, this film draws you in early on with a simple but intriguing premise but slowly peels away the cliche you expect and goes into the raw of humanity. Once you are hooked on the ride, the film is at times difficult to watch head on, with pain both imagined and real, yet we can't turn away from these characters either. Overall, another piece of master work from Von Trier which sadly will probably go unnoticed in the shadows of Hollywood. Also, the acting in this film, especially by Martin and LaBeouf, is fantastic. The chemistry is fluid and natural. It's another piece that stitches the film together.

Charlotte Gainsborough once said that great Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier writes great female characters only because he isn't writing female characters at all, but transforming himself into the bodies of female characters. Never have there been more evidence than in Nymphomaniac, the final installment of his "Depression" trilogy. Nymphomaniac is a visually stunning, unflinchingly honest, dark journey through one woman's life as a true nymphomaniac, by almost biblical definition, from her early childhood, to the age of 50. The woman, Joe, is found beaten and abandoned in a highly atmospheric alley, draped lightly in fresh snow. She is rescued by lonely book-worm Seligman (played wonderfully by von Trier regular Stellan Skarsgård. At the man's home, he kindly puts her in clean clothes and gives her a bed to rest. As she regains her strength, she tells the man the story of her life, primarily the darkest and most intimate aspects, to convince the man that she is indeed a horrible person in world where Seligman says there are no truly horrible people. Her story of self affirmation and confession is all at once literary-savvy , sophomoric, brilliant, silly, shocking, thought-provoking, endearing and sad. but surprisingly, not as erotic as one would expect, in my opinion and honestly I am glad that it took that direction. The highest points of the film are the impeccable editing, the powerful performances and the classic smirky brilliance of von Trier's writing. My only real complaint is that the film would have been better if it were not included as the finale of the "Depression" trilogy. The first two installments, "Antichrist" and "Melancholia" are two of the greatest films of the modern era I feel and two of the most emotionally destructive films of the modern era, demanding us to go to places we might not even be comfortable with exploring. This film is certainly uncompromising, but even in its five and a half hours, it never reaches the same destitution I was craving from the previous films. I would go so far as the say that this film makes me want to revisit "Dogville" and "Manderlay". Having said that, von Trier remains one of the most original filmmakers today and this film is definitely more relevant than 75% of what you find today, if you're interesting in delving into an ominous territory. Do not judge it by its cover, it's not the decadence you might expect, but perhaps that is a good thing, although be warned, the director's cut has some VERY explicit moments.

The movie has been reviewed countless times by people much more qualified than myself. All I'll say is: It's crude, excessive, morally reprehensible, and a brilliant example of Von Triers masterful filmmaking. Great film, but obviously not for everybody. In terms of the product itself, I believe it to be the best deal for this two-part series. Blu ray offers high quality, and you get both uncut films for a decent-enough price. As much as I'd wished for a blu ray / DVD combo pack, I don't believe it exists. As far as I'm aware, this is the next best thing available. If you like the films, you won't be disappointed with the quality of this set.

Lars von Trier is a master at his craft. This is immensely better than Melancholia was but not as good as Antichrist. He's always been controversial but this one almost felt like he pushed the envelope just for the sake of pushing the envelope in its gratuitous intercourse.

Very much a Lars von Trier film. Artfully done, beautiful story, graphic content drove the story forward and wasn't too much (not for fans of Antichrist and Melancholia that know what they're getting into, anyway). If the run time and content is a put off, I suggest the edited version, which is still a great film at 4.5ish hours