MichellZarahCamposIslasA01163750

IsmaelE.RamrezCrdenasA01169679
JosCarlosCoronaMorenoA01167579

Inthisessaywearegoingtodiscuss
Antichrist,
a2009Danishfilmwrittenanddirectedby
LarsVonTrierinwherethenarrativeisdividedintoaprologue,fourchaptersandan
epilogue.

WeknowfromMcIverthatthefilmcouldbeappreciatedintwodifferentwaysthefirstisthe
ScreenExperiencewhichisonlyrelatedtosittinginfrontofthescreentowatchsome
luminousimagesmoving.ThesecondwayistheCinematicExperiencethatisattachedtoa
greatefforttounderstandthoseimagesmoving.Thelastonegivesustheneedtoexplaina
filminordertocreateadialoguewiththedirectorandthestory.

Thisneedinvolvestheaestheticexperiencewhichgivesustheurgetounfoldthescreenplay
andthengatherthepiecesbacktogetherbutwithmorenotionofthemainideasthat
completethediscoursemoreovertherearesometimesinwherewehavetomakesome
sacrificesofourownrealitytounderstandsomeofthestorieswesee.Thispointofviewcan
leadustodifferentwaysasCurriesacclaims,thePsychologisminwherewemixourown
paradigms,uncertainties,memoriesandfearstomakeacomparisonbetweenthemovieand
ourlifeandcreateawayinwhichwecouldunderstandit,someofushadexperiencethis
andweknowthephraseifyouwatchsomefilmfacingsomeproblemsyouwould
appreciateitinadifferentwaythanbeforeandthatistrue,wehaveaconnectionwitheach
filmwemet.

ThePsychologismisdividedintwoparts,thefirstoneiscognitiveillusionismthatinvolves
acceptingthattheimagesinthemoviearerealeventsandthatthecharactersreallyexist,
butifweinterpretthisfilmwiththistheorywecouldfacesomedifficultiesbecauseweshould
achieveinfirstplacethatthisstoryisreal,likethefootageofthelifeofthischaracterandwe
knowisnottrue,alsothatthisstorycouldhappentousanditisinourpossibilitiestotravel
toaforestliketheoneweseethefirstproblemisthatthetimelapseofthefilmwas
manipulatedtocreateamoregruesomeatmosphere,tocreateuncertaintytomakeusfeel
uncomfortable,howeverthisisnottheonlywaytounfoldthisfilm.

Curriementionswecanmakeacounterpointofthecognitiveillusionismbyachievingthe
aestheticexperiencethroughtheperceptualillusionwherewearenolongerbelievinginthe
filmastheonlyabsolutetruthbutthatwecanseeeveryfilmasanalternativeuniversein

wheretheeventsarehappeningandfromwherewecangetsomeknowledgethatcan
interpolateintoourdailyliveswithouttheneedtolivewhatthecharactersinthefilmhave
experiencedinsummarythistheoryarguesthatthecinematicexperiencehappensinan
alternativeuniversefarawayfromtheviewersbeliefs.Ifweusethistheorytomakea
translationofthisfilmintoourcognitivecapacitywecouldsaythatthiseventshappensinan
universewhereanimalscantalk,motherprefertowatchtheirownsonscommittingsuicide
beforelosinganorgasmandthatparentsareatthemercyofmurderousmothersfilledwith
dementiaandanger.

Thiscouldexplainthemainissuesdiscussedinthisfilmbut,canweexplaintheroleofthe
thesisoftheleadfemaleroleandwhatistherelationwiththewayLarsportraysNaturein
thisfilm?TounderstandthisweneedtoassociatethemeaningofNatureintoourhuman
naturebecausewewereabletoseetheirapartmentinthefirstsequenceanditissnowing
outthere,thenweseetheflowersofthehospital,theforestandthetalkinganimals.

AsfirstthoughIthinkwehavetoconsiderthatNatureastheenvironmentarounduswas
andstillisseenastheultimateperfectionmancannotachieve,thismighthastodowiththe
ancientdefinitionofbeautythataccordingtotheancientGreekthetermitselfcouldbe
usedtodescribenotonlybeautythings,colorsorsoundsbutactionsandgoodthoughts1it
tookusaverylongtimetounderstandwhatisbeautythenwecomeacrosswithKantwho
saidithastodowiththetastesomeonehasinparticular,thisopensadoortothe
representationoftheNatureasanenvironmentinthisfilmwhichthefemalecharacter
describesas

thechurchofSatan.

AsLarsportrayedit,thewoodsweremoreindecaythan
inasplendorousbeautyasPlatoandAristoteleswouldsaid.TheythoughtNatureasan
environmentwasbeautifulbecauseitkeptcertainproportionsandthismathematical
perfectionwasnotavailabletothehumancreation,sointhisfilmweappreciatethiswoods
inanuncannywaybecauseLarsportrayedthemdirty,unattended,fillwithbranchesand
rottentrees,eventhewindblowsonlyasaharbingeroftheentrancetoaBeggaronstage.

Antichrist
isafilmfullofstronganduncomfortablesequenceswhichhavethepurposeof
createamysteriousenvironmentaroundthecharacters.Therearepartsofthefilmwhere
LarsVonTrierusescertainkindofimagesthatarequitebizarrethatmakeusecompare
themtoaDavidLynchfilmorvideo.Theyaresimplyugly,uncomfortable,evengrotesque.

Forexample,thereisasequencewherethecharactersdecidetotraveltothewoods,
suddenlyanothersequencewithsometreesmovinglikeifwewerewatchingthemfroma
1

W.Tatarkiewicz,
Historiadelabelleza:concepto.

movingvehiclegetsintothescreen.Thismaysoundprettynormalbuteveryonceinawhile
youcanwatchrottenfacesscreamingwhilethetreeskeepmoving.Thismakesusask
ourselvesifwearereallywatchingthosefacesorifwearebeingpreyoftheintentionofthe
filmtoscareuswiththistypeofsequences.

Therearethreeconcreteexamplestotalkaboutthissequencesorimagesthatmakesus
feelawkward.Thefirstoneiswherethemalecharacterfindsadeeronthewoodsthathasa
fetushangingfromitsanus.Thisexamplemightbetheperfectformtodescribesomething
thatcanberealandweknowthatcanhappenbutitmakesusfeeluncomfortablebecause
ofthecultureofthemotherhood.Thesecondexampleiswhenababybirdfallsintothe
groundandsuddenlyagroupofantsstartstoeatingit.AsIsaidbefore,thisremindsmetoa
DavidLynchstylebecauseofthezoomheuseswiththegrotesqueinordertoemphasize
theemotionshewantstoprovoqueontheaudience.ThelastexampleistheChaosReigns
sequenceherethemalecharacterfindsawoundedfoxonthewoodsthatisdismembering
itself.Thisareallystrongagrotesqueimagethatendswiththefoxtellingthemale
character:
CHAOSREIGNS
.

AsRancierementionsonhisessay
TheIntolerableImage
,"Animageneverstandsalone.It
belongstoasystemofvisibilitythatgovernsthestatusofthebodiesrepresentedandthe
kindofattentiontheymerit.Theissueisknowingthekindofattentionpromptedbysome
particularsystem."2,everyimageofasequencehasapurposeandamethodologythat
standsbeforeit.Forexample,thepurposeofthebabybirdthatfallsanddiesisa
representationofthecouple'sbabywhodiesatthebeginning.Itmeritsattentionbecauseis
astrongimagethatrepresentssomethinghumanthroughnature.

OnthesameessayRancieresaysthat"thepointisnottocounterposerealitytoits
appearances.Itistoconstructdifferentrealities,differentformsofcommonsensethatisto
say,differentspatiotemporalsystems,differentcommunitiesofwordsandthings,formsand
meanings."3ThiscanberelatedtothefactthatLarsVonTriercreatesanenvironmentofa
mysteriousandenchantedworldthroughapeculiarstyleoffilmmakingbasedon3Dplanes,
ambiguoussequencesliketheonesmentionedbefore,andastronginfluenceofthe
grotesqueworld.

JohnWatersrankedAntichristonthesecondpositionoftheTopTenFilmsof2009."no
surpriseforaguywhomadehiscareerbasedonprovocation.IfIngmarBergmanhad
committedsuicide,gonetohell,andcomebacktoearthtodirectanexploitation/artfilmfor
driveins,thisisthemoviehewouldhavemade.4

Ifwegodeeperintothecharacteristicsofthefemalecharacterwecananalyzeaclearcase
ofafemmefataleatermthatwasfirstusedintheXVIIIcentury.Thistermisdetermined
byawoman(normallyavillain)whouseshissexualitytotrapmenshe'sonthethinline
JacquesRanciere,
TheIntolerableImage
.(BuenosAires:Manantial,2010)
Ibid.
4
RussFischer,TheTopTenFilmsof2009,AccordingtoJohnWaters,(USA),December28,2009.
http://www.slashfilm.com/thetoptenfilmsof2009accordingtojohnwaters/
(accessedNovember28,
2015)
2
3

betweenkindnessandmadness.AsErikaBornaymentionsonhisessay
Quintemeala
femmefatale?GnesisydesarrollodelmitoenelsigloXIX,
therearefourcircumstances
thatcanrespondtothecreationofthischaracter:"Thefirstonewasthecreationofthe
feministmovementthattookplaceonEnglandintheXIXcentury.Thesecondonewasthe
riseoftheNewWomanmovement.Thethirdonewasthedevelopofthefemale
prostitutionaftertheIndustrialRevolution.Thelastonewerethemisogynisttheoriesfrom
Schopenhauer,Nordau,WeiningerandNietzsche."5Thefemalecharacteronthefilm
possessallthesecharacteristicsthatpositionsherbetweenthelineofgoodandevil.There
arealotofmomentswheresheseemslikeafragileandbrokenperson,butthereareother
momentswhenloseshermindandturnsintomadness.Sheuseshissexualitytocorruptthe
malecharacterandavoidconfrontherdisturbedmind.

JeanBaudrillardinhiswritings6reflectanobsessivediscoursebythesignanditsimpacton
society.Ontheotherhand,theimageproposedasamediainwhichtheycanputtoevilina
moreexposedmanner,whichexistsbythewillofthesignispresentbecausethereisasign
thatrepresentsit.

Whichbringsusintoamultilevelanalysis,simulation,thiscreatesamodelsofarealwithout
anorigininreality,anabstractionofthesign(in
Antichrist
weseeseveralabstractionsof
conceptssuchasdepression,fearsandsexualdesireinvarioussequencesofthemovie).
ThenextstepistoformaHyperreality.it'sbasedonmemorybanksthatcanbereproduced
indefinitenumberoftimes.
WetalkaboutaprecessionofSimulacra,whenaprincipleofequivalenceisrepresentedof
theequivalencebetweentherealandthesign,wecanseethisasagenerationofmodelsof
arealwithoutorigininreality.

Baudrillardexplainsthatthereisastrikingpowerofimagesoverothersigns,in
Antichrist
,
LarsVonTrierexpressconceptsovertheimages,heisfascinatedwiththesimulationof
realitythroughmedia,Anexampleofthisiswhenanimalslikethefoxdismembering
sequencetransformstherealityintohyperrealityofnature.
Imagesultimatelyhavenofinalityandproceedbytotalcontiguity,infinitelymultiplying
themselvesaccordingtoanirresistibleepidemicprocesswhichnoonecancontrol,having
saythat,realityisexponentialbymeansofimages.
Therealsoarrangeditself,intheimageofthefilm,astoproduceasimulationof
catastrophe7
Baudrillard
.Larsrendersinfullnaturethiscatastrophebychangingallthe
psychologyintheperformers,creatingadialecticalrelationbetweenrealityandimagesand
viceversa.
ToreturnonceagaintoTrier's
Antichrist
,initstitleincludesthefemalesignthatis
representedbyevilthroughtorturesequences,aftertheintroductionwefindadivisionin
threeparts(chapters),aswesaidbefore,butwherethetwofirstofthesechapterswithout
difficultycanberelatedtodifferentstagesinthepsychoanalytictherapytowhichtheman
subjectsthewoman,thethirdchapter,Gynociderepresentstheveryoppositeofpsychic
ErikaBornay,
QUIENTEMAALAFEMMEFATALE?Gnesisydesarrollodelmitoenelsiglo
XIX.
(Barcelona,2009)
6
Baudrillard,Jean.
TheEvilDemonofImages.(LeftBankBooksFirstEditionedition,June1987).
7
ibid(page.21)
5

healinginanindividualisticpsychologicalperspective.Butthischapteralsoopensforaview
ofthefilminawiderperspective,whereitconcernsthesocialcorpusandthecathartic
formofpurification.AntichristisconsideredasaTorturePornfilmforitsownnatureof
explicitscenesoftortureandmutilation,itisatrendyaestheticswithincontemporaryhorror8.

Sources

1. Tatarkiewicz,W.
Historiadelabelleza:concepto.
2. Ranciere,Jacques.
TheIntolerableImage
.(BuenosAires,Manantial,2010)
3. Fischer,Russ,TheTopTenFilmsof2009,AccordingtoJohnWaters,(USA),
December28,2009.
http://www.slashfilm.com/thetoptenfilmsof2009accordingtojohnwaters/
(accessedNovember28,2015)
4. Baudrillard,Jean.
TheEvilDemonofImages.(LeftBankBooksFirstEditionedition,
June1987).
5. McIverLopez,Dominic.
Imagination,IllusionandExperienceInFilm.(
1998)
6. Larroyo,Francisco.
SistemadelaEsttica.(Mxico,1979)
7. Monaco,James.
Howtoreadafilm,Theart,technology,language,history,

andtheoryoffilmandmedia
.(NewYork,1981)

8. Bornay,Erika.
QUIENTEMAALAFEMMEFATALE?Gnesisydesarrollodel
mitoenelsigloXIX.
(Barcelona,2009)
9. RikkeSchubart,L.(2015).
LarsVonTrier'sAntichristandTorturePornasart
aesthetics
.[online]videnskab.dk.Availableat:
http://videnskab.dk/blog/larsvontriersantichristandtorturepornartaesthetics
[Accessed30Nov.2015].
10. LarsVonTrier,
Antichrist
.(Zentropa,Dinamarca,2009.film)

RikkeSchubart,L.(2015).
LarsVonTrier'sAntichristandTorturePornasartaesthetics.