Technical Brilliance With Not Much More

Rating: 6/10 (3 January 2020)

This is technically brilliant. The lighting, camera angles, and long shots are among some of the most effective I've seen in cinema, leaving the audience brutally disoriented.
However, that disorientation flows over into the rest of the experience, leaving little more than primal fear and confusion for the viewer. I think that Noe has the technical chops to be among the greatest horror directors in this decade, but needs to connect these cinematic tools to a narrative and message that are as compelling as the execution themselves.
If you were to consider that half of a rating is for execution and technical considerations, and the other half for storytelling and narrative, then Climax has a perfect half of the former and falls flat in the latter.
It's worth a watch if you enjoy indie horror, french experimental film, or liked Raw (Julia Ducournau, 2016) but felt like it was too linear in its message.
If that last part applies to you, please message me. I don't think you actually exist.