Enter the Void

Gaspar Noé’s highly-anticipated follow-up to 2002’s brilliant Irreversible, Enter the Void can’t help but come off as an anti-climactic disappointment – as the almost absurdly overlong running time of 155 minutes ultimately wears the viewer down and negates the film’s more overtly positive elements. The unapologetically thin nature of the plot, which revolves around a Tokyo-based drug dealer (Nathaniel Brown’s Oscar) as he dies and subsequently embarks on a whirlwind tour of his life and struggles to keep a watchful eye over his beloved sister (Paz de la Huerta’s Linda), is initially not as problematic as one might’ve expected, as Noé, along with cinematographer Benoît Debie, peppers the proceedings with precisely the sort of audacious, downright eye-popping visuals he’s become known for. It’s just as clear, however, that without a palpable narrative thrust (eg Irreversible was ultimately fueled by the central character’s quest for revenge), one’s interest starts to wane somewhere around the one-hour mark. To be fair, the impressive stretch set within Oscar’s memories does temporarily elevate the proceedings, yet there’s little doubt that even this portion of the movie eventually succumbs to Noé’s distinctly repetitive and aimless modus operandi. This is despite the fact that Oscar inevitably does become a far more compelling figure than one might’ve anticipated, with the creeping realization that he’s reliving his biggest regret – the corruption of his sister – ensuring that the viewer inevitably can’t help but sympathize with his plight. It’s finally impossible not to imagine that Enter the Void would’ve (and should’ve) been a far more affecting piece of work had it been shorn of half its length, and, although there are some seriously impressive sequences towards the film’s conclusion (eg the camera swoops around Tokyo and even enters a passing airplane), it does seem unlikely that even Noé’s most ardent fans will be able to wholeheartedly embrace the picture (especially since certain portions seem like they’d be more at home on an art gallery wall than within movie theaters).

** out of ****