A dazzling and unique vision for a very specific type of audience.

Rating: Null/10 (23 March 2019)

Before watching "Climax", I would never have called Gaspar Noé one of my favorite filmmakers. I have seen "Irresistible" at the beginning of the last year and found it a great and unsettling film told with such an energetic force and cinematic style that it was absolutely unforgettable. I also watched "Enter the Void" and couldn't get into it at all, and wasn't really able to find anything meaningful in my viewing experience. I haven't seen his 2015 feature ("Love") yet, but maybe I should check it out soon after the incredible experience "Climax" has just given me. This film was completely and utterly original, not necessarily in terms of its storytelling, but definitely in terms of its technical efforts. The film beams with energy, it's powerful and disturbing and dazzling and unforgettable all at the same time. If you have seen the trailer, you will already have seen what the entire film will be about; the important thing about this is Gaspar Noé's filming technique, the absolutely extraordinary cinematography, the superb choreographies, the absolutely FANTASTIC soundtrack - I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, and I was fascinated and disturbed and intrigued all at the same time. I loved the long overhead take in particular, which is a scene you would basically immediately recognize Gaspar Noé for.
I wouldn't count "Climax" as a film, but rather as an experience. Obviously, people will have extremely mixed opinions about it. Some won't grasp why this film was even necessary in the first place, some won't get warm with Gaspar Noé's unmistakable style, some simply won't enjoy the experience. I myself wouldn't have thought that spending ninety hallucinatory minutes at a dancing rehearsal would turn into one of my favorite movie experiences of 2018 - but somehow it did, and somehow I found a lot of respect for the art of Gaspar Noé. Definitely worth checking out; such a unique film.