Example of "ENTER THE VOID's" visual effects

This scene is useful as it encapsulates Enter the Void's visual effects at its most outright psychedelic, this is useful to show why some people couldn't handle the visuals and cinematography.

"ENTER THE VOID" BBFC Censors Report

Following is a detailed examination published by the BBFC on their website about why "Enter the Void" recieved an 18 certificate and why it wasn't cut:

"ENTER THE VOID is a drama following the lives of a brother and sister living in contemporary Tokyo. The brother, Oscar, is a small-time drug dealer and his sister, Linda, works as an erotic dancer in a strip club. The film was classified '18' for frequent hard drug use and strong real sex.

The film contains frequent sight of hard drug use, including the use of cocaine, LSD, GHB and DMT. At '18', the BBFC's Guidelines state that cuts may be required to 'any detailed portrayal of [...] illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health'. More generally, the Guidelines state that 'No work taken as a whole may promote the misuse of drugs and any detailed portrayal of drug misuse likely to promote or glamorise the activity may be cut'. Although ENTER THE VOID places some emphasis on the pleasures of recreational drug use, most notably through extended sequences filmed from the point of view of the hallucinating drug user, the dangers of drug misuse are made clear throughout the film, both in the dialogue and in the narrative itself. For example, one of the central characters is shot by police during a drugs raid and finds himself lying on the floor of a toilet cubicle, covered in his own blood. Such scenes serve to reduce any glamorisation of the lifestyle depicted. Additionally, although various methods of drug use are shown, such as taking pills, smoking drugs and snorting lines, none of the material shown presents information that is likely to be novel or instructional to an adult audience.
The film also contains several scenes of strong sexual activity and nudity, including sight of naked couples thrusting during sex, sight of implied fellatio and sight of erect penises. These scenes exceed the terms of the '15' Guidelines where 'Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail' and are therefore more appropriately placed at '18'. In addition there are infrequent scenes of strong real sex, including sight of vaginal penetration by dildo and by penis and sight of ejaculation. At '18', the Guidelines state that cuts are likely 'where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context'. The images in question are relatively brief and are not dwelt upon. Their purpose is not to arouse or titillate the audience; rather, their purpose is to illustrate the hedonistic and often seedy world inhabited by many of the film's characters.
In addition, ENTER THE VOID contains frequent strong language and two uses of very strong language. It also contains scenes of strong violence, some strong gory images (including sight of head wounds in the aftermath of a car accident), strong verbal sex references and a scene depicting a pregnant woman undergoing an abortion procedure in a hospital or clinic. The latter scene in particular includes sight of surgical instruments being used on the woman and close sight of the dead foetus lying in a metal dish, which some viewers may find disturbing. The film also includes occasional suggestions of an incestuous relationship, including inappropriate kissing between siblings and sight of a brother sniffing his sister's discarded underwear. However, no incestuous sex is actually shown.
ENTER THE VOID also includes a number of sequences of flashing and flickering lights that are likely to trigger a physical reaction in vulnerable viewers. It also contains extended sequences featuring rotating and handheld camerawork that may induce motion sickness in some viewers."

Primary Research: Personal Review of "I STAND ALONE"

Primary Research: Personal Review of "IRREVERSIBLE"

"Irreversible" is a film almost too intense to handle in one sitting. Yes, it is, at certain points, very explicitly sexual. Yes, it is, at certain points, sickeningly violent. But is it a morally abrupt film? Hell no.

"Irreversible" opens with the end credits and almost seamlessly works backward through the horrific night it is set on. The film is so masterfully shot and edited, that the camerawork is as hypnotising as it is nauseating. It gets gradually less frantic as the film goes on, but the first 20 or 30 minutes are shot as though we are on the brutal comedown of a huge drug binge or we are on the verge of fainting.

People have criticised Gaspar Noe for many things; most superficially, his incredibly graphic and unflinching depiction of rape in this film. For the uninitiated, the rape scene is around 8 or 9 minutes long... it's too much. It's completely and utterly repulsive. We, as a whole audience, want to turn away, we don't want to see as much as we do see. But violence needs to repulse us to be effective, and I'll be damned if it doesn't effect anyone on at least some level. He has also been criticised of being homophobic... oh no, not at all. Some character's may be, but not the director nor the film.

"Irreversible" is a staggering, gritty and real film... but it's necessary. We need films like this to wake up an audience from thinking violence is easy to watch. I would completely understand if someone wouldn't want to see this film, and rightly so; but for those who think they could stomach it, it's definitely not exploitative or done for shock value. It's an amazing film, with an emotional scope larger than anticipated, and the aforementioned scene (plus another infamous scene involving a fire extinguisher) have artistic and psychological merit.

This film gives us the scourge and scum of humanity, and doesn't dress it up or placate us.

Primary Research: Personal Review of "ENTER THE VOID"

Gaspar Noé, the man behind "Irreversible" and "I Stand Alone", was in my opinion one of the most inventive and innovative forces in recent cinema; his films opened doors no other films dare or can. With "I Stand Alone" he gave us a stark, harsh window into the life of a French butcher, and with "Irreversible" (a film I have already reviewed on this blog), he gave us one of the most effectively disturbing masterworks in cinematic history. Knowing my fandom, you can imagine how eagerly I was awaiting his newest film, "Enter the Void"; a film which polarised audiences at Cannes, causing incredibly mixed reviews. The more I heard about the film itself, the more I was fascinated by it. It was easily, without a shadow of a doubt, my most anticipated film of 2009 and 2010 (not knowing anything about release date). The teasers, trailers and opening credits which were released online fascinated me even more. It looked sensational. With the film in limited release, I searched for a screening near me. Turned out the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle had two screenings lined up... I caught the second; here are my (hopefully) organised thoughts.

"Enter the Void" is a full-on sensory-numbing experience right from the first frame. The opening credits are even enough to cause an epileptic seizure. Noe has always been known for unconventional titles and credits (Irreversible's titles were the credits backwards and the credits consisted of just a title card reading "Le temps detruit tout" (Time destroys everything), but these, his titles for "Enter the Void" are his most innovative yet and no doubt one of my favourite opening title sequences ever. There are two distinctively different halves to the opening credit sequence. The first; a fast paced assortment of strobe-powered credits accompanied by an uneasy whirring sound, and the second, what can only be described as an assault on the eyes and ears... only seeing it would do it justice! But first, it feels like it's my duty to issue an epilepsy warning; if you suffer from epilepsy, don't bother trying.

After the opening sequence, comes a real time 20 minute or so long section where we meet the main character, Oscar and his sister, Linda... over the course of the section, she leaves, he takes DMT, trips and gets a phone call from his friend Victor, asking him to bring his share of a drug haul to "The Void", a bar (with more psychedelic decor than is needed on a DMT trip, I might add). The police bust in, he flees to the bathroom and is shot. From then on, the film descends into a state of exuberant beauty, whizzing melancholic energy and pure visual inventiveness.

After the screening I caught, it took around two or three days to fully process what I saw. My initial reaction was one of complete awe and shock. Whether you like him or not; there is no denying that Noe has a definite and clear vision and he shows us some things we would never see anywhere else (in the case of this film, things we wouldn't see unless we were a gynaecologist with a pinhole camera; not to sound crass). My initial reaction was also definitely positive, but alas, I was blinded by the experience to see certain obvious flaws... it may have been said before but the film is slightly overlong, this thought only cropped up once or twice during the viewing of the film, mostly during the extended sequences of Oscar's travelling spirit going through buildings; although this isn't to say the beautiful model-work and cinematography didn't keep my attention, it completely did. Let's just say, in the way of visual and technical innovation, for me, this beats "Avatar", no question. That's pretty much it in the way of criticisms and problems I had with the film.

What Gaspar Noe has created here is another testament to how easy it is to polarise an audience. Some will be completely taken in by the film, and yet some will feel detached... and this is definitely a film you cannot enjoy in a detached state. You have to prepare to be absorbed by the experience; and prepare to have certain boundaries challenged. I adored this film; it's also probably my favourite of the year up to now.

KERMODE UNCUT - ENTER THE VOID

This review is relevant to my project as it highlights "Enter the Void"'s power to stun even the most hardened of critics/filmgoers. A trait Gaspar Noe's films aren't too shy of. Kermode even mentions having to carry someone out of a screening of "Irreversible". After watching "Enter the Void", Kermode is in a state of shock and cannot completely gather his thoughts about the film, although he does later go on to review the film on his radio show, his immediate thoughts still stand... those of shock and stun.

RELATED FILM #2 - "I Stand Alone (Seul contre tous)" [1998]