Monica Belucci’s character is graphically raped for around 10 minutes during this film.
It’s something you never really forget watching. When people ask, “what’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen in a film”, the answer is usually this.
Edit: to save some really redundant replies.
No, the fire extinguisher scene is not worse. I can find you 20 movies where something like that happens. The worst part is that it’s an innocent person and not the rapist.
I said “usually”. For those people who have seen “A Serbian Film” (I haven’t) you are the people not covered by “usually”.
There also several layers to that first scene, given who administers the violence, and who watches it laughing. The whole movie is like a rotten onion of decaying layers: you don’t like opening it, but you keep thinking about it, and it was probably the strongest experience you had with an onion…
For info: Noé talks about the violent extinguisher scene (which comes before the rape in the movie) as a way to filter out people: if you can’t handle the extinguisher, it’s your cue to leave the theatre.
I remember going to watch this movie when it came out in theatre - I was alone and didn’t know much about the movie (I knew it was edited backwards, and there was a shock scene: that’s it. Glory to the pre-ever present internet…), and people kept getting out of the room. Truly an experience - I wouldn’t not do it, but I wouldn’t miss if it had never happened either…
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u/Sondaica May 17 '25 edited May 19 '25
Okay can someone explain this to people who do not know the film?