For some reason, this movie is called an "erotic thriller" by Netflix. No. Way. This one is definitely a horror movie. I knew right from the opening credits that this was going to be very difficult to watch, and I was right.
The opening sequence is a bizarre blend of erotic, beautiful, and heart wrenching as we are given the back story as to why our protagonists end up in a lonely cabin in the deep woods. From the box cover, you'll find out that this is a story about a couple that are working through the death of their young child and ultimately stumble across something very evil in the heart of a forest. This opening sequence shows us, quite literally, the passion between the couple -- lots of skin... LOTS of skin, and nothing is left to the imagination as we see far more close up... copulation that you just won't find outside of a porn movie. The way it is done, with classical music, all in slow motion, and in black and white, however, makes it far more beautiful and moving than the porn alternative. What can you say, it's art, so you can pretty much do anything you want, right?
Unfortunately, they do. In an equally moving and beautiful scene, we see a young child crawl out of bed, teddy bear in tow, as he finds an open window in the study with snow and moonlight cascading in. The visual is absolutely beautiful, don't get me wrong, but watching this child crawl onto the window ledge, lifting his teddy bear out into the falling snow with a huge grin on his face... and then watching him slowly tumble out of the window before making a poof of snow on the ground below (almost in Wiley Coyote fashion)... well, it's terrifying for a parent of a child of the same age, let me tell you! And the movie only gets more horrifying there.
Not surprisingly, the couple is devastated as the movie moves away from slow motion black and white and into short cut scenes, in color, of the grieving couple. Again, it is heart wrenching, and the actors (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) portray the characters brilliantly. Their pain is palpable, and I really felt the character's pain, even though there was minimal dialogue. You can see their pain, and it is truly a visceral experience. There are problems in their relationship, and husband decides to play junior psychologist by backpacking deep into the woods where the couple can work on their fears and pain. And then the proverbial shit starts hitting the fan.
The journey into the woods, in a lot of ways, mirrors Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but with a more supernatural twist. (If you don't know the reference, you should pick it up -- it's a short read, and it pops up in movies again and again...) I don't think we really know for certain whether some of the fleeting images the characters see while in the woods actually happen, or if they are the images created by the characters' shattering minds. Regardless, there are several times during the course of this part of the movie where time literally slows to nothing -- rain drops freeze as they fall, leaves stop blowing, and then something creepy happens... usually having to do with otherwise innocent looking woodland creatures. You learn to understand that when time slows down, something very bad is about to happen, and it is enthralling.
The creepy scenes aside, the truly horrific part of this movie sets in when husband and wife both kind of snap. And let me tell you, if you thought that Misery was difficult to watch when Cathy Bates broke James Caan's legs with a sledge hammer and a block of wood, just wait until you see some of the physical torture that occurs in this film, both to one another and self inflicted. Wow is it difficult to watch! Saw has nothing on the physical pain clearly felt by these two characters. And what makes all of it just that much worse is how sex becomes wrapped up in this painful degradation. No, this isn't sadomasochism. It's just plain old fashioned psychological breakdown that takes a horrific violent turn.
This is a very difficult movie to watch for many, many reasons. The subject matter, the violence... and far too many shots of Willem Dafoe's naked ass and genitalia. All kidding aside, this movie is actually fairly brutal in addition to the emotional roller coaster. It isn't a "scary" movie, but it is definitely a horror movie. I think most people will find this difficult to watch, but if you can get through it, it is certainly an interesting cinematic experience.
Movie to Skip: Hide and Seek
A wealthy pregnant woman is kidnapped by two dangerous crazy people that can't have children of their own... and that's about all there is to say about that. Oh, I could talk about how there is always an inevitable clash between dangerous crazy people. And I could talk about how absurd some of the supporting characters could be at times (like the chick who tries hitting on kidnapped woman's husband prior to the kidnapping, and then really turns up the heat less than six months after kidnapped woman disappears, and then has the balls [?] to be upset with him when he is not quick to jump in the sack with her). But I'm not going to. Once you read the box cover on this one, you've got the entire plot, and you can pretty much guess how this one is going to end. Everything in the middle is just... silly.
This one is not very convincing and pretty forgettable. In fact, I'm fairly sure I've seen it before, but it just wasn't worth remembering... Fortunately, now that I've written this 'blah' review, I'll remember that I can skip it instead of accidentally sitting through it again.
