MovieChat Forums > Irréversible (2002) Discussion > In an odd, disturbing, controversial and...

In an odd, disturbing, controversial and perhaps not easily noticeable sort of way...


... did anyone feel that this film, Gaspar Noe's "Irreversible" (2002), was basically Noe's "answer" or even answer without inverted commas, to Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi 60s masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968)?

And not JUST because a poster for that film or of that film was featured in one scene as a direct reference.

And an answer it was in a sense that, the Kubrick aforementioned film was implying a kind of universe where man, as in, HUMAN BEING, is considered a higher source of life by intelligence and is generally sophisticated enough to rise above the primitive cruelty and is on the similar level to God or basically SAINT by how good he is by virtue of being a human being and this film, Irreversible...

... is almost as if Noe is saying "No, Stanley, you are WRONG", and a human being is NOT able to reach the apex of greatness and sophistication and in many ways human beings are capable of and in fact are being worse than the most primitive of animals, capable of rape, murder, cruelty, disrespect, stupidity, selfishness etc and that sadly, the reality for human beings is nowhere near as great and peaceful as Kubrick may have envisioned it to be in that movie.

Correct?

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Noe!

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Yes, Gaspar Noe is indeed the director of this movie. Your point is?

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I liked when the monkey threw a bone into space. Do they have an opposite-type action in this movie? Like a donkey drops a carrot down a deep well or something? If so, I'm in!

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Also, in case you wasn't aware Moonglum9, his surname (Noe) is pronounced like "No-ay" rather than "No".

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No way...

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No-uay or no-ay

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A monkey definitely throws a bone in this movie. Y’all know what I’m talkin’ about.

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Plus, in case you were wondering, his surname is not pronouced like "no" but "no-u-ay". Oh yeah, I mentioned it already.

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No

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i like turtles

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What if harm found it's way to you? Terrible, terrible turtle harm. Would that change your mind?

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That would be dreadful.

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This is absurd on every level.

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What is?

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I just like the scene with the fire-extinguisher

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OK folks, besides the "2001" poster featured in one scene, have a read of this Russian article but turn on English translator -

https://drugoe-kino.livejournal.com/1619048.html

See what you think. Written in 2008. To be honest, given how popular this movie is, in circles, although it is undeniably considered one of the most difficult and disturbing movies of all time, I am surprised few people have come up with this if at all outside a few Russian reviews of it.

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If you are using Google Chrome and a computer, right click with the mouse and a "Translate to English" feature can be selected, enjoy reading the review. Albeit, it will be LESS grammatically correct but understandable nonetheless.

Besides the 2001 reference, you can even see references to Kubrick's other works like A Clockwork Orange, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut.

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And a very similar review was a written by a Russian reviewer at kinopoisk.ru

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Fair enough, but have you given any thought to what I mentioned here, the similarities between this flick and Kub's "2001"?

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After having read the article you linked, I concede that her points are rather interesting, and perhaps can be applied to a broader, humanistic perspective.

If we are to view Kubrick's Odyssey as a symbol of human triumphalism over the material world, then it is important to consider what the film says about the goal toward which human progress is striving. In 2001, we see an unsympathetic and indifferent vision, where human emotion has been channeled toward function. For example, the film has no female characters, so the character's sexual neediness must be sublimated toward their mission. The world which Kubrick depicts is a cold one, and this is highlighted more poignantly with Hal who, in his final moments, is shown as being more human-like than the crew members, as he pleads for life.

The lack of any discernible humanistic lineament makes the audience question whether or not such visions of technical advancement are justified. "What is at work here is an uncontrollable and self-destructive will that is not accompanied by a vision of any minimally [recognizable virtuous path]" (Sesardic, 2009). The moral being that "dreaming of progress without anyone needing to be good is as perilous as dreaming of systems without anyone needing to be good" (Pearce, 2021).

In that sense, it can certainly be argued that Noe's message in Irreversible (if it is indeed a response to 2001) is that humanity is not yet ready to explore space when the world they inhabit is in disarray, withering, and in the throes of death.

Still, despite this, I believe the better contrast between spiritual and material primacy was made with Solaryis, where Tarkovsky subtly implied that humanity is not ready to transcend the temporal world (space) when they have not yet explored the deepest and fullest potential of the spiritual one (themselves).

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