Enter the Void: A different drug film

Enter the Void: A Different Drug Film

Director Gasper Noe’s latest drama, Enter the Void, is the story of a young man’s decent into the afterlife. The film follows Oscar, a small time drug dealer living in Tokyo, as he follows his sister and friends after his death, progressively becoming more distorted and disconnected with the reality he once occupied. His sister Linda works at a strip club run by her boyfriend Mario. The beginning of the movie, with the Cloverfield-like view from Oscar’s perspective, and his first trip, a 10 minute assortment of random yet beautifully rendered images, foreshadows one of the movies greatest aspects: its camerawork and psychedelic sequences.

The movie starts with Oscar and Linda at their apartment, where they overlook the inner-city area of Tokyo where they live. We soon learn that Oscar is an addict, mostly from his constant declarations to himself that he isn’t. After the aforementioned trip, Oscar gets a call to meet his timid friend Victor at The Void bar and deliver “his half of the [ecstasy].” On his way out, we meet Oscar’s good friend Alex. While talking about the Tibetan book of the dead he loaned to Oscar, he clarifies the movie by explaining that when you die (according to the book) your soul wanders the world, unable to affect it, until it can be reincarnated. Upon arriving at the bar, which Alex is ominously outside of, the police rush in as Victor tearfully tells Oscar he’s sorry. Oscar runs to the bathroom to dump the X, and is killed by police after he claims to have a gun.

The remainder of the film we see from Oscar’s point of view, as a spirit traveling the city of Tokyo, mainly watching his sister in the aftermath of his death. We see her life deteriorate as she struggles to deal with his death and her own issues. A large part of the movie, as mentioned by Alex in the book of the dead, is Oscar’s life from infancy to his death, in which his odd relationship with his sister, Victor’s betrayal, and other aspects of the film are explained.

Again, the best part of the film, not to mention a reason to see it all its own, is the stunning drug-themed images and camerawork. The camera traveling the city of Tokyo from the air or going into people’s heads to see from their point of view is visually stunning as well as great tool to see everyone’s life and actions in the movie. When watching his friends and sister, the hand-held camera view reminds us that it is actually Oscar watching them. As we go further in the movie, Oscar’s spirit constantly disconnects from the laws of reality and becomes lost in time and hallucinates events. The amazingly filmed drug-inspired scenes, both real (such as the model glow in the dark Tokyo) and hallucinated (Oscar’s spirit watching his friends having sex in said model city) are some of the most enjoyable in the movie.

Although a great movie, there were certain parts that weren’t as good. The main plot of the movie is Linda’s life coming apart after Oscar’s death, coupled with his friend’s similarly deteriorating life, is very heartfelt and enjoyable to watch. However, as the audience has no idea where any of it is going, or if there is any climax or ultimate turning point, you start to hope at every turn of events that the end is coming. When we suddenly are thrown into his childhood, you get a feeling that there is now an end point (his death) to look forward to, but at this point he also starts to lose a sense of time, and will recap previous scenes as they relate to where he is in his past. When Oscar finally reincarnates and is soul is at peace, you are just as relieved the movie ends as disappointed. The other critique is also a double-edged sword for the movie: its offensive material. As Greg Magme warns in his IMDB review: “If the following things disturb you, then you should probably avoid this film: strobe lights, drug use, shaky hand-held cameras, graphic sexuality, sperm, spinning cameras, psychedelic imagery, blood, gay sex, abortion, breastfeeding or a graphic auto wreck.” I would also like to add if your offended by Freudian (to put it lightly at times) scenes, you should also avoid the movie. However, if none of the above seriously bother you, they are to Noe’s defense, tastefully (again to put it lightly) added and necessary for the plot of the movie.

Enter the Void is both visually entertaining, stimulating, and easily recommended. Although you may be tempted at certain points to check your watch and leave, it is definitely worth sticking around until the end. The rough draft of Enter the Void premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year and received great praise. A cut-down version of this film will be in theatres September 24th