Catherine Breillat Wants To Kill You & Eat Your Soul

I watched Anatomie de l'Enfer recently. And I can say, hands down, that this is the most revolting movie I have ever witnessed. Say what you will about b grade horror movies, THIS is the type of movie that sets out with absolutely zero interest in the audience. At least with horror movies they want to give the audience a thriller, a scare, a laugh, anything. Anatomy of Hell just wants to disgust you. Wants to suck all the life out of you. It wants to test you - yes, even I can see that - but in the process stamps on your head and beats you with a stick until your head represents a mere stump.

The plot (if you could call it that) involves a gay man helping a straight woman who then performs oral sex on him and then asks him to come over to her house for four nights and watch her degrade herself and (in natural Breillat style) himself in the process.

This is a true and accurate description of some (yes, there are others) of the acts done in this movie. They are really done, no simulation here.

-Gay oral sex (the very first scene of the movie)
-Cutting of wrists with a razor blade
-Hetero oral sex
-Close ups of both the man's penis and the woman's vagina
-Fingering of her vagina (both him and her)
-Fingering of a bloody vagina (again, both)
-A close up of the woman's vagina as a giant dildo slides out
-The removal of a bloody tampon from the woman's vagina
-The emerging of said tampon into a glass of water
-The drinking of said glass of water by the man
-The man spreading lipstick all over the (sleeping) woman's vagina and anus
-Anal rape of the woman (twice)
-The man inserting a pitchfork handle (with the pitchfork sticking up in the air) into the woman's anus
-The removal of the man's penis from the woman's vagina followed by a torrent of blood
-Close ups of the man's penis covered in blood

...the last two are indeed the most disgusting things I have ever seen in a film. Absolutely abominable. Why would anyone want to film this? Hell, why would anyone want to participate in this? I very nearly turned off the movie at this point - i didn't. I kept going. I wish I hadn't because it didn't go anywhere.

Thank god this movie was only 70 minutes long.

I have only seen three of Ms Breillat's films (RomanceX, Fat Girl and this) but it is really hard to see where she fits into in the realm of cinema. She is definitely not helping any cause (whether it be feminist or whatever she likes) with her films (and that's if she ever did have a point). They are horribly degrading in many senses. The only one that actually had some form of rhythm was Fat Girl and that movie was terrible (except for the last 15 minutes which, strange enough, are some of the very best cinema i've seen - pity bout the rest). RomanceX was sloppy and messy (the FILM as well as the sex) and felt pointless. Anatomy of Hell even moreso. It is a complete and utter mess with not one redeemable feature. Just pure trash all the way.

I don't know what Catherine Breillat was trying to do, but it failed. Spectacularly, so. What exactly does she think she is doing with her films? Helping the cause of women masturbating with stone dildos on screen? Ugh. This movie is truly awful. F



Interesting then, that last night I should revisit a movie I had never been able to completely watch. Romper Stomper (1992, dir. Wright). And indeed, I had to stop it half way through, it was getting too much. The film is one of those society horror films that don't involve serial killers and what not. The film is extremely horrific and is quite possibly the most violent film I've ever seen - not in terms of gore and blood, but in terms of the impact of said violence. The 20 minute fight between the neo-nazis and the vietnemese is just horribly tense and shocking and graphic and disgusting and scary. It scares me even more to know that the place these events are set is a mere 40 minute train ride from where I live (eep).

Russell Crowe's performance is great, as you would expect (it's no wonder everyone thought he was going to be a star) as are the supporting performances of Jacqueline McKenzie and others. The score and sound design just add to the horror vibe. But really, I can't say I enjoyed the experience of this film. It was just too in my face. And this is from someone who gave Irreversable and B grade. Hmmm. C+

Russell Crowe in tighty whiteys though? omgadorable! Even if he is a neo-nazi (+ he's hung... fyi)



BEWARE!!! If you ever see this woman, turn around and RUN LIKE THE WIND because she will try to kill you and eat your soul (or just stick a pitchfork up your arse!)