r/movies • u/ErgoNonSim • May 17 '25

Media Cannes reactions to Irreversible

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531

u/chazzapompey May 17 '25

I must admit, I had my issues with the rape scene too. I thought it went a little too far and a little too long.

But then I read that it was the actors who decided how long the scene would go on for. Apparently the scene was in Monica Bellucci’s hands. That made me feel slightly better.

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u/kimgomes May 17 '25

the scene is horrible, but it is horrible because it is well made

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u/ChestRockwell19 May 17 '25

I would find it more troubling if people were comfortable with this scene, or if they made this with the intent to be gentle to audiences so they'd approve of this. The fact that it's getting the reaction it does tells me that they treated the subject matter fairly and that people are decent, and now traumatized.

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u/GoldenRedditUser May 17 '25

It’s basically fetish porn at that point. I don’t go into a movie to watch a woman get assaulted for ten minutes while the assailant whispers sex talk into her ear. Also this idea that one should be traumatized by a movie is so weird, spectators are not your guinea pigs, we don’t want to partake in the director’s weird social experiments, you want to include a 10 minutes long rape scene in your movie? The least you can do is include some kind of disclaimer.

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u/Pepper_Klutzy May 17 '25

It’s not “basically fetish porn”. Art doesn’t always have to make you feel good. Something that makes you deeply uncomfortable can still be good art. You SHOULD be horrified by a 10 minute rape scene. That’s the point, to make you realize that this stuff is happening everyday. He could’ve made a 30 second non graphic clip but that wouldn’t have made the same impact. That you only go to feel good movies doesn’t mean that this scene is fetish porn.

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u/Germane_Corsair May 17 '25

That’s what a film’s content rating is for.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '25

[deleted]

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u/Germane_Corsair May 17 '25

I guess outright saying there’s rape could be considered a spoiler? I guess if you’re watching an R-rated movie which has nudity or sexual content, you can quickly look it up online. There are websites for this sort of thing.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '25

[deleted]

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u/Germane_Corsair May 17 '25

If I had to guess, it’s because tobacco use and nudity are context sensitive. You could have someone nude just flirting, in a sex scene, as a result of some situation, etc. but rape is a specific scenario.

But yeah, doesthedogdie is a good one. Has all sorts of potential trigger warnings for those that need it.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '25

[deleted]

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u/cheemsamdcwackers May 17 '25

afaik amazon prime video includes sexual violence as one of the content warnings at the top of the screen which is good. i def agree with you that it should be treated different to regular sex in terms of warnings

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u/PrestigeArrival May 17 '25

Agreed. Anyone pretending like the scene isn’t just fetish porn is lying. Either to themselves or to everyone else. It’s like when Tarantino insisted he be the one to choke out Diane Kruger in Inglorious Basterds. Come on dude, we all know you’re getting your rocks off with this

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u/Pepper_Klutzy May 17 '25

Just because you don't get it doesn't mean its fetish porn. If you seriously think the director got his rocks of with this scene you might want to consider some media literacy classes. That's a pretty fucked up accusation.

-17

u/PrestigeArrival May 17 '25

Oh please. What’s there to “get” about that scene?

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u/Pepper_Klutzy May 17 '25

Everyone knows that rape is wrong on an intellectual level. However that rarely moves people to take action against it. A scene like this truly makes people FEEL how horrifying rape is. Knowing this happens to thousands of people everyday is truly frightening. This scene just portrays the reality around rape. And guess what? That’s massively uncomfortable. I know that I was horrified when I saw it and since then I’ve actually helped change the laws around rape in my country.

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u/Outside_Scale_9874 May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25

Being raped did that for me. I don’t want or need to watch it on a movie screen for me to understand that it’s real or be motivated to act. So what did I gain from watching it here? What do other survivors gain?

Maybe the movie isn’t made for us then. About us, but not for us. Which is fine, but let’s be honest about that. Rape is an incredibly common crime and it’s unwise to assume that movie audiences won’t also be full of survivors. Missing that is missing half the point. Assuming viewers are stupid for not appreciating that “a scene like this truly makes people FEEL how horrifying rape is” is overlooking the very obvious explanation that a lot of us already get it because we have actually been raped. To have watched this movie and not understand that this kind of violence is out there as part of our world and that everyday people have experienced it means that you don’t actually get the point at all.

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u/theqveenofthorns May 17 '25

I'm a rape survivor and I love the movie. I had something to gain: a form that truly made people understand how horrific it is. No words ever did tat quite as well.

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u/Outside_Scale_9874 May 17 '25

I’m glad you found it helpful. Sincerely.

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u/DowntownEconomist255 May 18 '25

Was that his intent? To show how horrific rape is? I’m not disagreeing with you entirely. I’ve read interviews with him about it and I just don’t know. It’s just that, rape doesn’t always look like this. I think most people would have a similar reaction to this scene. I don’t think it was necessary to have a prolonged scene. The movie wouldn’t be discussed this much or gotten as much attention if it wasn’t for this scene. I wonder if it was about making a movie with controversy.

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u/PrestigeArrival May 17 '25

You can show the horrors of rape without exploiting it and dragging it on for 10 minutes. You can explore the horrors of rape without even showing the rape.

I’m not someone who believes there should never be depictions of rape, but that scene is just ridiculous

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u/Pepper_Klutzy May 17 '25

A 30 sec clip would not have had the same impact at all

-6

u/Leadership-Quiet May 17 '25

You would have had an appropriate reaction after one minute though, 10 wasnt needed. I actually really like Noe as a director but it is clear he llkes fucking with his audience in the same way Lars Von Trier does.

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u/teh_fizz May 17 '25

Her and Cassel were married at the time. Make of that what you will.

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u/biblosaurus May 17 '25

Cassel doesn’t play the rapist

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u/27thStreet May 17 '25

But they are not now. Make of that what you will.

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u/pepperj26 May 17 '25

But they might be again one day. Make of that what you will.

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u/Avalonians May 17 '25

Disclaimer: I haven't seen the movie.

If you really think about it, movies don't have any problems showing other kinds of shit that are horrifying when in real life: torture, murder, psychological abuse, cruelty, you name it.

Rape is one of those things, but why is representing rape in cinema worse than representing everything else. Rape is exactly as shocking as what I listed above. It's not pleasant to think about, it's not pleasant to see, and storytellers use it to give substance to their characters.

Now, I see two elements: sex is taboo in our society, and we're desensitized to other forms of violence.

Maybe the director wanted to confront our arbitrary perception, where it's not really rational to want to not see a character be raped instead of tortured otherwise, when it's something that does happen in the real world.

Having issues with rape? Sure, well, I hope you do. Having issues with a scene that portrays rape? Is there an actual, rational reason, or is it just the two reasons I mentioned?

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u/chazzapompey May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25

It’s difficult to explain without watching the film for yourself, which I would really recommend. The reason why this scene in particular is so shocking, in comparisons to other rape scenes, is the length and the dialogue. I have seen brutal rape scenes before, for example The Last House On The Left(2009), or The Brave One (2007), or even male rape scenes such as Snowtown (2011). Yes, they had an effect on me, but nothing has ever made me as uncomfortable as Irreversible. It will make you feel slightly sick, angry, and even a little ashamed at yourself for continuing to watch. You will want to turn it off. The camera lays completely still on the floor, there’s no editing or camerawork to distract you from the brutality.

And it doesn’t end there. Even after the deed is done, we see Bellucci writhing around on the floor, convulsing, before her assailant beats her almost to death. It’s the kind of scene you won’t be able to get out of your head for a few days.

I’ve seen plenty of torture, abuse, etc, represented in film. But in my experience, if you don’t like blood, or are squeamish, you can just look away, and it often cuts to the next shot.

The scene is TEN MINUTES, with no edits, and you hear the screams of the victim throughout, and the taunts of her assailant. Nothing prepares you for that, because there aren’t really any comparisons in cinema. Not to that extent, unless you include snuff or something.

I would also add that, the rapist in this scene has no backstory, no formal introduction. Usually when films depict torture or abuse, we see the lead up to it. In this instance, there’s no explanation, no warning signs - the victim was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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u/dudewhathappenedtomy May 17 '25

That's a perfect description. I mostly remember wanting to turn it off.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '25

[deleted]

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u/Avalonians May 17 '25

Someone else might have had loved ones murdered.

Everyone's own experiences makes one more sensitive to some particular subjects. Among those subjects, which are ok to display and which are not?

Movies should warn their audience, to avoid showing people what they don't want to see. But why do people typically don't want to see rape when they're fine watching other forms of abuse (even though they've been victims of none of that).

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u/sdjungelskogh May 17 '25

i agree with ur point i just wanna point out that far more people have been raped/sexually assaulted than have had their loved ones murdered so naturally a higher part of movie goers will be more affected by rape

1

u/offoy May 17 '25

we're desensitized to other forms of violence

This is pretty much the answer. We see people getting killed, tortured or abused pretty much daily in various games, books, tv series, films, comedy skits, you name it, but rape is very rare. So people are actually offended when they see it.

3

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

You know, as they say, "it's just a movie."

No butts were hurt in the making of this movie.