TO ALL THOSE WHOSE BRAINS WILL DECOMPOSE BEFORE THEIR HEARTS

~ The last days of an elderly couple stricken by dementia ~

Welcome to my thread film sxn fam. As promised here are my first thoughts after just having seen Vortex, the new Gaspar Noé feature.
Everybody knows that i stan this guy but i went into this with an objective additude, not expecting anything besides it supposedly being his most tranquil film going off the Cannes reception and overall plot.
Don't expect this to be anything written in a professional manner, my mind still feels foggy (which is always the case after a first watch of a Noé) and this thread is solely meant for me to document my own first thoughts and to share them with the community.
I thought at least somebody might be interested in hearing what Gaspar's biggest fan on KTT has to say about this. Let's go

For starters, this is Noé's most personal film right out the gate. Like i said, the film is mostly about a couple stricken by dementia, and the way they deal (and don't deal) with the situation. Although the film isn't an exact replica of his own experiences with the sickness, his mother did have Alzheimers disease which means this is material that rests close to Noé himself.
The way we feel this is through the subtleness of the film. Noé is known for excessive violence & sex, bright flickering lights & flashy camera tricks. He also is a provocateur at heart, but all those things seem to be missing this time around. The film is still brutally nihilistic and haunting in a way that all his other entries are, but this particular film is thankfully made with the maturity of a filmmaker who has grown into someone who doesn't need those stylistic touches added afterwards to achieve the same heavy emotional impact.
Another fact people might not know about is that Gaspar Noé himself suffered a brain hemorrhage after the release of his film Climax and nearly died himself. All those things considered it's no wonder he went on to make a film about facing our own mortality.

So, i'd say it's very different from his earlier work. But there are some things that still let the viewer in on the fact that we are in fact watching a Noé feature, albeit in less extravagant ways. All the shots facing people from the backside are still there, and we also still have characters that feel like vessals for Noé to talk through and reference other artists that have been inpirations to him personally. The emotional impact all his other work has is still there, and even though we do reach some very, very dark places none of these things are a result of deliberately placed shock moments. It's a slow descent into nothingness, emptiness and we as the viewer can do nothing but watch it all unfold before our eyes. Helpless, just like the characters are.

And the descent is SLOW, let me tell you. And that is a re-occuring critique of mine towards some of his films. I adore them all, and Vortex in particular never really felt like it overstayed it's welcome to me, but the longer features of him sometimes feel like they could have even had a stronger impact if they were cut down just 15-20 minutes in runtime.
Every second of the film did feel significant in adding to the experience though, so i'm not sure if me feeling that way this time around was just a byproduct of me feeling really claustrophobic and uncomfortable.
If you accept to let a Noé film wash over you, you won't be able to escape. That's including accepting all the emotions and physical responses that come with it, whether that be disgust, anxiety, melancholy or whatever else you may feel. In that regard this film couldn't be anything but a Noé film even despite all the stylistic quirks missing. It's just as hard hitting and visceral, but where his other films where the peak of the trip, this one feels like it's the come down of the trip. It's definetly his most raw feature since Irréversible.

We have to talk about the split screen ''gimmick''. For the few people that have watched his most recent work Lux Aeterna this won't be the first time that they see Noé experiment with this exact format. In Vortex we constantly see 2 different screens, one portraying the man and the other portraying his wife. This split screen beautifully shows us their different worlds so to speak, and works as a literal barrier between their respective worlds. The introduction of this split screen is done in a genius way, with the opening shot being of the elderly couple laying in bed while a line slowly divides them.
Sometimes the split screen shows another person (mainly their son who is the only other prominent character in this film) and in some moments one of the two screens is gone entirely, but throughout pretty much all of the film it's the man and wife we will be following. The nameless couple is played by none other than French veteran actress Francoise Lebrun and legendary horror director Dario Argento, who both give stellar but subtle performances. The acting in Vortex felt more natural than in any other film i have seen in recent memory, and every time Lebrun's character tried to speak, remember something or looked all around her confused and scared, i wanted to tear up. Their performances, including from the person who plays their son, are truly what makes this film work to the extend it does. It's realistic to the point where it felt more like a true documentary to the last days of a random couple living somewhere in France.
To come back to my previous mention of Lux Aeterna: although that is the first moment where Noé experiments with the split screen format he would use a few years later, it is basically the polar opposite in effect. In Lux Aeterna the split screen enhanced the chaotic energy, in Vortex it gives every moment more room to breathe.

I advise anybody to watch this one. It really is Noé going for an oscar in his own way, but don't expect that to mean that it's easy to get into. It might be his most bleakest film to date so keep that in mind.
I don't see this being as rewatchable as all his other films, because it is so real, confronting and depressing and his usual flair kind of masked the dark underbelly that is in all his other work. That's not a point of critique, not all films have to be a flex of technical skill. It's the sort of film that was missing from his filmography and as a huge fan i can't be happier to have this moving piece added to the collection.

More thoughts in the future, but this will do for now.

9/10

Loved hearing your thoughts Fly, gonna watch this ASAP

Loved hearing your thoughts Fly, gonna watch this maybe tomorrow

Loved hearing your thoughts Fly, never gonna watch this

This a new side of Noé watch it p****

Tbh

Yall posts really affected the sigma male rate in this sxn and took it down a few percentiles

Hey danny i consider you my friend but listen friend this place is for appreciation of the new film by the GOAT of cinema and not for you to post some dusty ass music thank you

Come on, come in. Step into the vortex, where you belong.

Hope to work up the courage to watch this some day. Always gotta mentally prepare myself for Noe's movies

Which ones have you seen and how did that go for you?

Enter the Void and Climax. I've seen clips of Irreversible.

I felt physically sick after Enter the Void lmao. Climax I fared a bit better but it's still something I probably won't go back to

Enter The Void really is disorientating but sick? Really? In what way It's one of the most relaxing films ever made to me. I always watch it whenever i want to chill and vibe. Only the Oscar death scene gives me anxiety really

Might watch tonight

prepare to cry

Fly da 🐐

Got his ass

Throw it on when you in the mood for a grounded tear jerker though it's quite slow paced and bleak

Not sick-sick, but definitely wasn't feeling like I was in a good mind state at all afterwards

Then again I did watch it off an edible so maybe that had something to do with it

LMAO, yes that was it probably. But i feel you. The first couple of times i watched it i totally came out of that film in this kind of haze. Same with Climax. And although this new feature is probably more depressing than those 2 combined, there is no shock or chaotic nature to it so you'll be just fine fam

I might actually. I've seen Irreversible, Climax and Enter the void. And it was a "unique watch". I just don't f*** with Gaspar Noe like that because the story is usually lacking but he's one of the best visually.

Also "To all those whose brain will decompose before their hearts" is a really cool line. Would watch just to see that

Well here there's no flashy visuals at all, the story isn't deep or anything but very realistic and hits hard. Performances are subtle but amazing. Such a blessing to be able to see Dario Argento on screen in 2022

That line is how the film opens, he usually has a tagline somewhere in all his previous films but mostly i found them kinda cringey even as a big fan. But this one yeah, it's beautiful

Aye, love the write-up Fly.

I saw this in the theaters on edibles and the experience was very profound. It got me to accept boredom more. It also got me to quit smoking weed. I didn’t want to be in a fog anymore.

Preciate it bro

Damn, that's crazy though. Noé out here changing lifes i stan a king

Although accepting boredom more lowkey sounds like slander very interesting that out of all the films this is the one that made you wanna stop smoking weed. But i totally get it the way you explain it. That's really interesting fr fr