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.
$21.99The price was $28.76
$199.99The price was $249.99
$279.99The price was $449.99
$949.00The price was $1,099.00
$299.00The price was $399.00
$39.99The price was $62.99
$1,574.99The price was $2,149.99
$1,149.00The price was $1,299.00
