"Anitchrist:" Not What I Expected

My expectations were high for Lars van Trier’s “Antichrist.” Besides attracting recognition at numerous global film festivals, it also promised gruesome imagery of genital mutilation and madness. While these prerequisites were fulfilled, there was a certain comedic element to the film that was unexpected and refreshing. What I expected was a very serious movie that explored the deranged mind and that would leave my own mind reeling. The end result was something a little bit different. While this film is dark, fantastical and grotesque, it refuses to take the holier-than-thou stance of so many other horror movies. The comedic effects of this film are so shocking in their absurdity that they practically pull the viewer out of the story. Against the backdrop of this noir setting, it is like licking the sweet blood off of a rusty knife.

Besides the comedic nature of several sequences, (beginning mainly with the second half of the film), there are other elements that sever the audience from a direct relation to the film itself. The beginning and end sequences: both in black and white, slow motion and set to operatic vocals, provide an element of artistry and observation, not direct relation. Coming into a horror film, I expected to be subjected to brutal images of Nick falling to his death, but instead it is his teddy bear that we are forced to watch come apart at the joints. Clearly the audience is going to be drawn in slowly and stalked like an animal, before being pounced upon by the predator.

In direct opposition to the way certain elements of the film separate the viewer from the story; other scenes draw the viewer in for a closer look at certain elements of grief. It would seem a simple thing to cross a grassy patch of grass from one rock to another, but Gainesboug’s performance, along with visual and auditory punches, made the short journey wrought with the expectation of danger. Similarly, the sequences of hypnosis also draw the viewer into the fantastical landscape of the forest, allowing the viewer to feel the darkness pressing in, the danger of the old bridge, and the ghastly aspect of the tree stump rising out of the charred earth like a barbed phallus.

This film deals with many aspects of the hunt: Willem Dafoe’s character hunts unceasingly and methodically for a solution to his wife’s grief over the loss of their child. His coldness and calculations contrast harshly with her overwhelming scenes of despair and panic. While Charlotte Gainsboug definitely deserved her Best Actress award at the Cannes, set beside Defoe’s calm demeanor it only heightened the effect of her performance. It appears throughout most of the film that her reactions are simply due to her loss; however once her true nature is reveled one has to wonder just how many of her symptoms were a result of her obsessions and madness. Despite the fact that it is her husband’s idea to travel to Eden, it does seem like too convenient of a map to follow. During the final sequences, the literal hunt of Dafoe through the woods is a captivating and claustrophobic. In a fight or flight scenario, it seems that his only way to escape to is continue to hunt his wife’s mind, as flight in his hobbled condition is out of the question.

I wish that more time had been spent dwelling on the actual focus of She’s obsession that was sparked by her thesis paper on gynocide. While it is obvious that she became increasingly frantic while working on her paper and was thus unable to finish it, this plot point in the story is quickly followed by the torture and hunt scene. Once her husband has discovered the truth of her nature, evidenced by the pain she inflicted upon their son, She wastes no time turning the tables. He barely has time to put the pieces together before she begins trying to literally rip him apart.
In dealing with the gruesome imagery of the film, while there are some shocking scenes, they are certainly not meant to be the main focus of the story. I think it is allusions to these scenes in numerous reviews that place too much emphasis on them. While it is horrifying to see modern day torture done in medieval fashion, and it’s never fun to see a graphic representation of a clitoridectomy, these scenes alone certainly go nowhere near encompassing the actual main focus of the film’s themes.

The questions of how the madness and despair of outer nature relates to inner nature become apparent when He first broaches the idea about his wife’s greatest fears. Drawing a pyramid, he searches for the most feared thing, that elusive blank spot at the pinnacle. First “nature,” then “Satan,” and finally simply “me.” Upon arrival at the cabin, She warns her husband that “this can’t last forever.” She knew that her true nature would eventually be discovered, and that she would slowly slip into madness with each acorn, (or “soul”), that fell from the tree. In the same way that the forest suddenly gusted strong currents of wind, She relinquished herself suddenly to her own obsessions.

The trinity of the three beggars offers a roadmap of the couple’s descent into terror. Most importantly, the actual constellation from which this analogy originates is simply a figment of She’s imagination. Despite this myth, it is He who experiences the direct interaction with each beggar. It almost as if his wife’s belief in these creatures is so strong that they materialized out of thin air. While the image of the deer, (grief) greets him upon first arriving in the forest, it is the fox, (pain), who warns him of the pending doom. Finally, it is the crow, (despair), who turns him over to his would-be assassin. How ironic, that as She confidently predicts that once the three beggars arrive in unison one of them must die, it is her instead of her husband that is squeezed from the physical world.

Comically speaking, the theater audience Saturday night at the Nuart in Los Angeles was practically reeling when the fox spoke. Although it was gruesome to view an animal disemboweling itself, it was a breath of fresher air to hear it snarl “Chaos Reigns” as if a devil were living inside its soul. Later, when Dafoe’s character attacks the crow in the foxhole, he repeatedly pelts it in comedic fashion. Even though the situation is completely serious, as She is right in his tail, the action in this sequence carefully balances on the razor’s edge of horrorific and desperately funny. Similarly, when all three of the beggars appeared in the cabin during the end sequence, it seemed so whimsical that there were a scattering of snickers here as well. Not all audiences may have reacted this way, but I would say that this reaction only further served to endear one to the plot. This carefully crafted balance between fantasy and horror left me appalled but grinning.

Dexter: Season Four, Episode Three

As the third episode of the season shapes up the pieces of the Trinity investigation begin to fall into place. Trinity’s third victim will be an older man, bludgeoned to death. Repeated references are made to the fact that Trinity is able to maintain his status as a serial killer due to the fact that he has no family. But was if it was the loss of his family that turned him into a killer in the first place? A young girl, a mother of two and an old man. I couldn’t help but notice that the pictures on Trinity’s table show this exact ratio: a nuclear family of four. The only person in this equation who is not a victim of Trinity’s killing spree is the boy: Trinity himself (?). What if Trinity lost his family: as a result of either his own actions or someone else’s, and he kills the same type people in an attempt to somehow connect to his own lost family? Of course, since it would be too obvious to go around killing entire families in the same fashion as his own he has to choose unconnected people, however the connections these people have in his mind are always the same. Perhaps he is even killing the victims to coincide with some sort of anniversary of his own family’s death, I guess we’ll all have to wait and see.
Will Lundy be the Trinity Killer’s next target? It would seem so fitting.

Unbeknownst to Lundy, he has connected the dots between the personal motivations of himself, Dexter and Trinity, (this in itself forms a trinity of its own). They are all motivated by the thrill of the hunt, Lundy to catch a killer; Dexter and Trinity to be the killer. But as Lundy points out when examining Trinity’s motivations, “I could just as well be talking about myself.” It would be interesting to put Dexter in a position where he must rescue Lundy from the Trinity Killer, in a way it would be similar to the situation where he saved Deb from his brother: Dexter would once again be forced to turn against a personality who shares a ride with his dark passenger in order to help someone from the “normal” world. This would force him to once again examine himself: does he have more in common with society than he believes (?).

Episode three continues to explore ways is which Dexter attempts to connect to the people around him and tries to fit in. Ironically, Dexter is able to make a connection with Astor, even though adolescence persuades her to refuse the advice or attentions of any other adults in her life. Concerning Dexter’s setbacks, Quinn is once again on his tail after being snubbed his gift of football tickets. However, Quinn should have seen this coming when Dexter replied that he was more partial to manatees than dolphins. What really sets Quinn off is when Dexter insinuates that Quinn is a dirty cop for taking the crime scene money. He then bluntly points out to Dexter, “You’re not one of us. You’re not a cop.” However, it seems that Quinn will soon have his own problems with the department if he continues to tell case secrets to his reporter girlfriend.

Even though we don’t get to see Dexter perform another kill this time, the “thrill of the hunt” remains a prevalent part of the episode. In addition, the parallels to Trinity’s murder sequence and Dexter’s showdown with his neighbor Andy create a scene that might as well have been a kill, as it appears that we will probably not see anymore of Andy’s handiwork, or his character for the remainder of the series. In dissecting Trinity’s murder scene Debra struggles with how this apparent suicide could actually be murder. How could someone be persuaded to jump to their death? Dexter aptly observes that “fear is a powerful motivator.” This sentiment proves true with both Trinity’s murder and Dexter’s scare scene. Both Trinity and Dexter threaten the lives of their victim’s families, and both are able to accomplish their goals. So even though Dexter’s hunt fails to result in a kill, the combat with his enemy parallels Trinity’s actions.

My predictions concerning Debra’s reignited feelings for Lundy continue to become more flushed out. In reference to her situation, we also get to see a more sensitive side of Masuka. While admitting that he has no personal experience in her situation, he is nevertheless able to validate her feelings without cracking the usual inappropriate joke. It was interesting to see the interaction between Debra, Lundy and Anton during lunch. While it was obvious from the start that Deb was irritated by Anton stopping by in the middle of her workday, the differences between her interaction with him versus Lundy only further distanced her from her current lover. Anton was visually disturbed by the photos from the murder scene; meanwhile Deb and Lundy talk over the case eagerly. The last shot from above of the two of them continuing the conversation while Anton folds his arms is a direct reflection of the current dynamics between this trio. Later, it comes as no surprise that Deb willingly lies to Anton about her whereabouts. She may be working late, but her purpose is certainly not completely work-related. Even though she and Dexter share a conversation about their desires for solitude, in Deb’s case it seems that what she really wants is more freedom in her life.

Of course, Harry continues to make appearances, repeatedly reminding Dexter not to get used to his new life in the suburbs. Will these warnings ever result in an outing of Dexter’s true identity? Rita must have some suspicions of Dexter after witnessing him smash out the surveillance lights, looks like he’ll continue to be in the dog house next week. At this point the question becomes how well will Dexter be able to patch this up? Will he be able to cover for his actions, or will his true identity seep through his carefully laid exterior in the same way that the graffiti on his fence reappears?

Dexter: Season Four, Episode Two

Title: "Remains to be Seen"

The play-on-words in this episode’s title are not lost on the viewer: episode two, while not as explosive as its precursor, sets up many things that “remain to be seen”. While Dexter literally tracks down his lost victim’s remains by frantically going in circles we are still left with surprises for next week: How exactly will the Trinity Killer execute his next kill? Is the short lived relationship between Angel and LaGuerta already over? Did Debra really manage to squash her leftover feeling for Lundy? Will Miami ever be able to go one day without a murder? Stayed tuned!

Dexter’s fight with his need for sleep is quickly replaced by his need to find and dispose Gomez, of course further delaying the primal human need for rest. For once, Rita’s usually over-bearing advice rings true: Dexter should have taken a personal day to clean up his mess. As Harry points out, with so many plates spinning, it’s easy for things to get out of control: Dexter snaps at Quinn, stumbles with Lundy’s endless questions, shuts down against Masuka’s attempt to liven up work during evening hours and rails against Harry’s demands. Dexter’s mis-steps resulting in self-alienation have never been more profound and dangerous. Even though Gomez eventually winds up safely hidden in the deep waters of the bay, Dexter realizes that his fix is “only a band-aid.”

In terms of romantic relationships, besides the newly developing affair Quinn has with the reporter, things seem to have cooled off. However, just because romance has taken a back seat to work does not mean that’s where the trail ends. The record seems to be set straight between Debra and Lundy, but her desperate professions of love with Anton actually suggest the opposite. Meanwhile, LaGuerta’s inability to balance the power dynamics of work and her private life with Angel convince them to take a break, but it seems obvious that this is not where their story ends, (especially now with Masuka suspecting that something’s up).

The audience is provided a break from watching another creepy kill scene involving the Trinity Killer, but is not spared from the creepiness of the hunt in action. While Miami’s finest might be hot on the trail of the Vacation Murderer, it’s the Trinity Killer who steals the scenes and the storylines again. The only scene that did not jive well was the scene involving Checkers. How did Trinity’s latest victim end up walking down the street at night with so many heavy packages, and her van parked neatly in the driveway? A scene involving her walking her own dog Molly would have been more believable.

Let’s hope that Dexter is able to catch a little more shut eye for the next few episodes so he can return to his former self: confident and reserved, yet outwardly friendly and one of the pack. After raising so many eyebrows this episode, he’ll need to work overtime to compensate for his lack of vigilance.

Dexter: Season Four, Episode One

Title: “Living the Dream”

“People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one” – Leo J. Burke

The highly-anticipated season opener of Dexter proves that the story-telling remains fresh and vibrant as this unique series enters its fourth season. The familiar elements remain, however these elements are now woven in between and in front of a universe that has taken shape over the last three seasons. The unanticipated return of characters from season three, plus the addition of a few surprises, promise an exciting up-coming series of events.

At the same time that this initial episode sets up Dexter to face what may be his most formidable opponent ever to the form of the Trinity Killer, it chooses to focus on a more immediate enemy that is familiar to us all, the confusion and chaos that results from the lack of a most basic human need: sleep. Dexter is as usual surrounded by enemies and animosity, although none of these rival forces is as detrimental to him as lack of sleep due to his duties as a new father. I thought I was experiencing déjà-vu during the first few minutes of the episode when the beginning sequence began to re-play itself. However the parody of this familiar routine is quickly determined: Dexter’s whole life is getting screwed up due to his new family addition. He misplaces a file during an important murder trial, falls asleep while scoping out his latest victim and may face a murder trial himself if any pieces of newly-deceased Gomez are recovered from the crash site.

Dexter’s misplacement of a file from the Gomez trial creates a two-fold result: he has created an enemy within the department and simultaneously found his most immediate victim. The interplay between Quinn and Dexter is similar to the exchange that Dexter and Doakes experienced, only with different motivations. In another familiar fashion, Dexter methodically plans the location and means to carry out his latest kill. However, lack of sleep and Dexter’s new family duties interfere with his kill at every turn. Even during the now familiar kill-scene, Rita’s interruption of Dexter’s activities, (and the fact that he even bothered to leave his cell phone on), provide the audience with insight as to how interrupted Dexter’s familiar routine has become.

One pleasing factor of this first episode is the fact that the audience is set up to follow the cat-and-mouse chase of the Trinity Killer. John Lithgow’s performance is both disturbing and fascinating. Within minutes of both opening sequences, the audience is bombarded with an extremely disturbing and erotically charged murder sequence that will remain lodged in memory for the duration of the episode. What at first appears to be a rather ordinary strangulation-in-the-bathtub scene quickly degenerates into a vicious series of softly spoken words and a chance for the viewer to see through the eyes of the murdered, self demise. Later, as Lithgow lashes himself with the scalding water of a locker room shower, the audience is left to wonder: what penance is he paying? Is this an attempt to wash himself of the crime, or just an attempt to feel anything, emotionally or otherwise?

The addition of Lundy to the Trinity case, newly retired and unencumbered by the procedures of the FBI, sets up a series of interesting questions. Of course in regards to his relationship with Debra, we are left to wonder if there will be any rekindling of their previous romance. But mostly importantly, it now seems that Dexter is in a position to collaborate, rather than run from the questions of this law man. After all, it’s Dexter who opens up the timeline of the Trinity case, identifying it as a series of killings that have taken places over three decades instead of half that time. Will Lundy and Dexter continue to share knowledge and help each other? And if so, once the identity of the Trinity killer is revealed, how will Dexter get away with serving his own brand of justice without arousing the suspicions of this mythic FBI enforcer?

The antics of the rest of the cast reveal a mixture of the familiar and the strange. As usual, Masuka provides comic relief with his off-color jokes and social interferences. There’s no reference yet to his developing relationship from season three. One has to wonder if this is plotline that was abandoned similarly to the Angel-Gianna relationship subplot. The LaGuerta-Angel office romance comes as a bit of a surprise given that in previous seasons there is a not a focus of sexual tension between these two. The apparent explanation of Angel’s break-up with his former girlfriend, (they “wanted different things”), may explain this sudden new romance to an extent, but one hopes that further background will be provided. While it is true that both LaGuerta and Angel both have suffered loss at the hands of people they were close to, one wonders how they ended up falling into each other’s arms.

Debra’s search for Harry’s marital infidelity continues to provide no answers. But a lingering camera focus on Laura Moser’s file, yet to be examined, hints that she may eventually stumble upon the truth. Besides now being torn between her new relationship to Anton and her previous interlude with Lundy, Debra also provides that audience with a solid explanation for why she has not moved into her brother’s former apartment. One has to wonder, if the relationship with Anton fizzles, will she encroach upon one of Dexter’s only remaining arena of privacy?

Overall, the season opener provides a good set-up of characters and settings that will move the story forward, yet there are still some primary elements that need to be fleshed out: Does anyone know that Dexter kept his former apartment? What about the infamous “Slice of Life” boat? Perhaps most importantly, how will Dexter’s killing methods change, now that he is “killing for two”? The second episode of the season promises many more surprises and answers to some of the questions posed. It will be interesting to see how the intertwining storyline develop.