I'm not sure how I missed this movie - it came out in 2009, and I'm a fan of Lars von Trier. My friend told me about it this week, and she knows my tastes very well.
It didn't disappoint.
The story is about a couple who, while making love, lose their only toddler son to a horrific accident. In an effort to save his wife from drowning in grief, the husband suggests they get away to their cabin in the woods, called Eden. He's a therapist and is going to try exposure therapy on her.
I guess exposure would be one of the overarching themes in this film - physical, behavioral, mental.
It's a horror movie, hands down, and a good one. But it also has an interesting fairytale element to it also. After I watched it I searched for reviews to help explain a little of the more odd scenes (fawn, fox, crow). There's a lot of imagery to this film. It's beautiful, foreboding, terrifying, and sinister.
As with most von Trier films, the cinematography is astounding, as is his use of music. If you've seen Melancholia, he uses the same type of slow-mo intro. Powerful.
I like how raw Charlotte Gainsbourg is in her acting. I often wonder if she doesn't just pull from real life when she inhabits her characters - her performances never feel contrived or overly dramatic, just natural.
Willem Dafoe was decent. He isn't someone I care to watch, but did a fine job with his reserved style.
It has many sexually explicit scenes, one within the first couple minutes in the opening of the film.
Two thumbs up for this one. Streaming on Netflix.
