by Nats Barretto
Books, texts, movies -- they are not just for entertainment. They are a means, a means of expressing the different possibilities in this world. That's one of the things I've learned so far in this second philosophy course. And today, I've seen that learning "put into action".
Irreversible. One word. Everything that has already happened is irreversible. Every possibility that has passed, every possibility that is happening -- they are irreversible. Time destroys all things.
Having had a three day weekend gave me a lot of opportunity to watch lots of tv shows and movies. And somehow, I happened to stumble upon this rated 21 and above movie from France. Out of curiosity, I watched it.
It was probably the...harshest movie I have seen in my 19 years of living. The movie contains 13 scenes, shown in reverse chronological order.
I won't tell the plot as some of you might want to watch it. But basically, the whole movie tackles a reality often dismissed by many film makers because of its negativity and harshness. Until now, I still can't get the images out of my head, and I doubt I ever will. It's irreversible. I thought, actually, why would someone make a film so...unnerving. Aren't films supposed to be entertaining? This movie is probably the opposite of entertaining!
But no, I guess entertainment's not the whole point of movies. Movies show possibilities, and harshness was simply the possibility shown by "Irreversible". Somewhere in other parts of the world, these things are actually happening. Probably more worse things than this are happening in some other parts of the world. And that's just the way the world goes.
This movie, is a noble movie. It tackles realities other movies are afraid of tackling. And it's noble in a way that it gives these realities exposure, more than what the nightly news shows you. Yes, it makes people horrified, but it also moves people to do something about these realities. Maybe, just maybe, the audience will be able to do something about these realities.
**Spoilers beyond this part.**
After more thinking, I've came to realize the things that made the movie so...horrifying.
1) Two people could have helped Alex in the tunnel scene: the transsexual Guillermo and the man who appeared on the other end during the rape scene. They both could have helped Alex, but they didn't. Sin of omission, yeah. It's scary, how people aren't brave enough sometimes to get out of their way and help people in need; how people are unresponsive to other's demands.
2) It's the same thing in the Rectum club scene, where Tenia was beating the hell out of Marcus' head with a fire extinguisher. All the other guys could have helped Marcus. But they just stood there, watching the man get himself beaten. It was one of the scariest images in the movie I couldn't keep out of my head.
3) The intensity. Several other movies also try to expose these kinds of things, but they don't make you feel the intensity the way "Irreversible" makes you feel it. A part of it is brought by the what the camera chooses to show--the penis of the rapist after the rape scene, the deformation of Alex and Marcus' face during and after the beatings, and several other things.
Watch only if you think you can handle it. It's not a movie for everyone, and I think I've already established that throughout the blog post.
