For two decades, Gaspar Noé has been one of cinema's foremost provocateurs, to the point that some of his projects seem more like dares than fully formed stories. Whether it was the reverse horror of Irréversible, the neon hellscape of Enter the Void or the 3-D pornography of Love, he's always known how to get attention and make something visually arresting you haven't seen before.
His latest, which won an award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, is Climax, which looks just as wild as his other films. Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde) stars as Selva, a dancer who attends a party with dozens of other artists. After they all ingest tainted sangria, they start experiencing hallucinations, increased aggression and a burst of energy. It should all lead to some mesmerizing dances, explicit sex scenes and end in horrifying violence. Noé wouldn't have it any other way.
Climax will have its North American premiere in the Midnight Madness section at the Toronto International Film Festival. It does not currently have a U.S. release date, though A24, which has consistently proven itself as best independent studio, will handle the release here when it does.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
