Vortex

2021 | Gaspar Noé | French Noé takes the split-screen from “Lux Æterna” and makes a film that is like nothing he’s ever done before. This film is calm, collected, slow and does not have flashing strobe-lights, exhausting cinematography or anything fucked-up like we know it from him. And still, this film is so Noé. It’s a harrowing portrait of dementia and illness. Noé got rid of all the LSD and acid and made a naturalistic and authentic film about an elderly couple at the eve of their shared lives. And still, the fact that the film is constantly presented in split-screen, at all times showing us two different things at the same time, makes it an almost exhausting experience. Cause it manages to get a feeling of distress and helplessness across that is really effective. And he uses some great editing techniques to make sure we pay attention to both screens. The performances are great too and have a fantastic naturalism to them. Françoise Lebrun and Alex Lutz are very good, but the standout was Dario Argento. We all know and love him as one of the most legendary horror directors of all time, but the man can act. “Vortex” might be disgusted as something that’s unlike any other Noé film, but in its core it still is exactly that, a Noé film.