Lars Von Trier's Sex And Genital Mutilation Film Finds Distribution

CANNES, France — Two past winners of the top Cannes Film Festival prize have picked up a U.S. distributor for their latest movies.

IFC Films says it has acquired North American rights to Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," which features Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg in a domestic tragedy loaded with graphic sex, torture and mutilation.

IFC also said Wednesday it has bought U.S. rights for Ken Loach's "Looking for Eric," a warm comedy about a troubled mailman who sets his life straight again with help from his imaginary friend _ former soccer great Eric Cantona.

Both films are competing for the Palme d'Or, the Cannes prize that von Trier won for "Dancer in the Dark" and Loach won for "The Wind That Shakes the Barley." The winner will be announced Sunday.

Comments

[daedelus]

Von Trier is a pretentious hack whose career has been on the decline since it began.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

Von Trier is definitely polarising. Many think he's a genius, a great filmmaker, others think he's a charlatan who has a knack for creating controversy but lousy movies. A friend of mine finds him crass and manipulative.

My favorite films of his are The Element of Crime (even though the English dialogue is rather stilted), The Kingdom, Breaking the Waves (a real masterpiece), Dancer in the Dark (Bjork is amazing in that one). I have mixed feelings on Dogville (brilliant at times, infuriating at others). The Idiots (a 1998 film of his) sucks, his worst film. Manderlay has its moments, but I didn't really dig it as other Von Trier films. Europa (aka Zentropa) looks great, but is a very shallow film. I haven't seen The Boss of It All.

Just because a film is shocking doesn't make it a work of art. Gaspar Noe's Irreversible is like that. It's shocking, but when the shock value wears off, it's a shallow, stupid movie.

I may go see Antichrist. I agree with other posters here, the headline for this article is exploitative, tabloidish, yellow journalism at its worst.

[TVDinner666]

"Breaking the Waves" was, to me, one of the best films of the 90s. I watched it 8 times before I decided that I'd absorbed the story enough. Nevertheless, the phrase "genital mutilation" is an awfully disturbing one, and I find myself wondering whose genitals get mutilated in the film. Specifically a man's or a woman's?

It makes all the difference. If it's a woman's, then I cannot forgive it. The blurred line between sex and violence against women in our cultural narrative is already unacceptable. But if it's a man's? Revolutionary. And I'd pay to see it.

[colinmeister]

****SPOILER ALERT***

It is mutilation of a woman's genitals, but it is self mutilation. Blurred line is even more blurred when the violence against a woman is carried out by the woman herself.

[gayleg]

No shock there. Von Trier's a woman hater. He Loves, Loves, Loves casting women in victim roles. Hurting and humiliating them obviously gets him off, right along with the pretentious critics who love him.

Bjork won't act in films anymore because of him, which is a shame because she was really good in Dancer in the Dark.

[Dimitra Ekmektsis]

What's there to say. I'll watch anything at least once!

[Agentlady007]

Oh man, I love this actor, Willem. I hope to act with him some day.

[TigersEye]

I agree, he's a talented actor but this film doesn't sound like something I'll rush out to see. Then again, I never was into horror films.

[BrianShields25]

Come on Huff Post, what kind of garbage headline is that. Forcing viewers to make up their mind on the film before seeing it. Now people will think that's all the film is about when it obviously has much more depth to it.

You could have just as easily put something like 'Lars Von Trier's Controversial Film 'AntiChrist' Finds Distribution'

Glad to hear both films found willing distribution

[Dimitra Ekmektsis]

i agree with you brian. it's still good-ol' boys mentality even here...

[sisterdebmac]

Depth? Really? That's hilarious. Depth of depravity maybe. Enjoy your wallow in the elitist gutter of cinematic dreck.

[davidwayneosedach]

I didn't think they played stuff like that at Cannes. What's next - snuff films?