Nymphomaniac review

So today I watched the first and second volume of Nymphomaniac which before I started watching I had already made my opinion up about it that it would me smutty and not my thing. I think a lot of that comes with the press that came out at least 6 months prior to the release it divided opinion and split people down the middle. I guess the main reason for this is because the film would feature real sex something that isn't looked highly upon by people in the industry and it crosses that line the smutty and tasteful. This brings me to an example of another film of the same genre and partially the same storyline and thats the film Shame starring Michael Fassbender. Which in my opinion is the pinnacle of his career and shows that you can take something as serious as sex addiction and make it tasteful and almost beautiful and very sad and distressing to watch on the screen. So when this film was announced and real sex was going to be displayed on screen I thought that this would take away the nature and seriousness of the tone of the movie. But if I'm honest I was very wrong and am pleased to admit that I'm wrong as the film/s were very beautifully shot/acted and portrayed on the screen. The use of real sex is done to almost enhance the message of the film that they are trying to get across which is sex addiction and for the most part that is shown in great sometimes graphic detail.

So the film is about a woman Joe that is found beaten and bruised in an alleyway and brought back to a man named Seligman where he asks to know obviously how she ended up in the state she's in. Which leads her into retelling her story in 8 chapter which is 8 points in her life that led her to this point. So the film then goes back and forth as she is retelling him this story and he gives his insight and words of wisdom which is beautifully acted by Stellan Skarsgard. Over the 8 chapters you slowly start to get an insight into Joe's life and slowly my opinion on the story and the film its self started to change from disinterest and dislike to falling in love with it. The film/s is beautifully shot and is very art house in the way that its crafted and portrayed on screen. I guess the thing that got me was that for a film that is primarily about sex and was completely panned by people for its subject is oddly tasteful and no two scenes last longer then a few minutes. But what I was shocked about and its something I have come to find when I speak to people is that my views on the subject of the film some views that I didn't think I had. I oddly started to respect her and respect that she didn't care about what people thought of her for who she was but at the same time she knew what she did wasn't right and she needed help for it. You start to feel pity for her like I felt pity for Michael Fassbender in Shame they are both oddly similar in ways and are both brilliant at how they deal with this subject on screen.

It made me think that maybe well not even maybe that we do judge films/music/games everything before we are actually sitting down and watching it I find myself always doing this and then being surprised that my views change completely. It made me think that if people didn't think about the subject of this film or have their views on the subject of the film (forget them basically) and just watch this film they would be surprised at how brilliant it actually is. That we are looking at I would easily say one of the most controversial and most surprising films that will come out all year.

It has a wonderful supporting cast from small cameos by Willem Defoe to a great performance by Shia Lebouf playing Jerome a lover of Joe's and the man (spoiler I guess) who takes her virginity. The surprise for me was Jamie Bell who I won't spoil it for you but gives this creepy but brilliant performance in the film that leaves you sickened and sadden at how someone can end up like he is. Its a film that I think was supposed to surprise and and cause controversy which in a way helps the film greatly because its kept it in the public eye and got people like me to watch it. So the film is split into 2 volumes which I don't know if there is any real need for it as there is no real proper stopping point between the two. The first volume basically stops like the last episode of the Sapranos almost mid-sentence and then it starts up again in volume 2 the only reason for this I can come up with is that no one is going to want to sit through a 4 hour film in 1 go. So while it doesn't hurt the film in anyway  it does take you out of the film for a minute while the volume 2 begins I hope that the DVD release just puts them together as their meant to be. Also I will say that the first volume in my opinion is better then the second 1 as it has the bulk of the story in it and makes up for most of the story. The second volume feels like its a lot of filler and not everything feels like it pays off till the end and the ending while it doesn't feel like it completely pays off I don't feel like it needs to. With the nature of the film and its content I don't think that there was ever going to be a natural real ending to the film because there is no way to end the story in a way that will please everybody.

It does just take me back to that point of that you should never jude a book by its cover and I feel that the same can be said for this film as I did that and was completely surprised that I liked it. I am happy in a way that the film proved me wrong as any film that is able to do that to you and completely change your views on the film is always a good thing. It does take me back to my earlier point that maybe we should start to stop judging the content before you watch it because we do that to much now. But in a film such as Nymphomaniacs case it helps it substantially because it gets people talking about it and love it or hate it majority of people are intrigued about it.

I would love to hear from other people those about how they felt about the film if they have watched it and if they haven't if they plan on watching it.