'First of all, I have been undergoing this cognitive therapy for three years, and I tend to get sarcastic about it. In an interview with The Boston Phoenix, Von Trier simply said it out loud, linking the unsavory connection Dafoe's character had unconsciously made between sex and therapy: Von Trier, as one might imagine, was far more brash when discussing the practical details of 'Antichrist's' sex scenes, bringing up Dafoe's anatomy immediately. Dafoe in particular required a body double throughout, as - and there's no genteel way to put this - his penis was too large.ĭafoe also pointed out in the same interview that Dafoe and Gainsbourg are both married, and having unsimulated sex on camera would perhaps bring up sticky questions about fidelity. The body parts in question, as one might assume, did not belong to Gainsbourg or Dafoe, both having used body doubles (It's worth noting that Von Trier once oversaw his own adult film studio, which had its own manifesto of ethics). One of the first shots of 'Antichrist' is a closeup of sexual penetration, shot in black and white, and projected in super slow-motion.

It is confrontational and difficult, but it is certainly powerful.īecause sex and sexuality are such pervasive themes of 'Antichrist,' and because so much of the drama comes from the two leads' sexual relationship to one another, a good deal of nudity was required from both actors. 'Antichrist' looks hard at that despair, then looks closer, and continues to look closer for several more minutes after you desperately want to look away. Depression is an intruder that warps its victims into accepting a worldview wherein nothing has light or purpose, least of all its host. Few films have bothered to delve into the true nature of despair the way 'Antichrist' does.

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