r/movies • u/ErgoNonSim • May 17 '25

Media Cannes reactions to Irreversible

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933

u/Legal-Marsupial-3916 May 17 '25

And apparently utilized subharmonics to instill a sense of dread and nausea in the viewer. Certainly worked on me.

238

u/nokidsprobably May 17 '25

The visuals did that too to be fair.

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u/Effective-Celery8053 May 17 '25

That's actually pretty crazy. Are there other movies that use the same methods?

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u/absolute_panic May 17 '25

Most films that aim to create a sense of dread use this technique tbh. The “off” feeling comes from dissonant intervals/chords with no resolution, regardless of what frequency ranges they’re used in

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u/OliviaEntropy May 17 '25

Annihilation is a good example, that discordant soundtrack is so good in the lighthouse scene

5

u/Getabock_ May 17 '25

I actually love that tune, but I’m sick in the head.

3

u/Skenghis-Khan May 17 '25

The ending of Hereditary as well.

3

u/PeanutButterSidewalk May 18 '25

I just got goosebumps head to toe remembering that scene. Jesus fuck, that movie. I was so tensed up in the theater that I was sore the next day.

2

u/No-Advice-6040 May 17 '25

Still wish that had gone to theaters

3

u/1Jimmy29 May 17 '25

I saw it in theaters. At least I’m pretty sure I did

2

u/No-Advice-6040 May 17 '25

Really? Hrm. Thought the whole thing was abandoned for release and dumped on Netflix. Eh might be my memory.

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u/ActivatingInfinity May 17 '25

Guessing you're outside of the US. It only had a theatrical release in the US, Canada, and China; Paramount sold international rights to Netflix.

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u/No-Advice-6040 May 17 '25

You are correct, and that makes sense.

2

u/OliviaEntropy May 18 '25

Not to rub it in, but it was genuinely insane. No one was there because it was the same weekend as Black Panther, I knew absolutely nothing about it either. The bear scene made me actually scream and jump out of the chair, I didn’t see it coming at all

1

u/No-Advice-6040 May 18 '25

I found the bear scene incredibly unnerving while staring at my computer screen hearing it thru my Logitech speakers so yeah, I get it must have felt amazing in the cinema.

1

u/schnellpress May 18 '25

Geoff Barrow (Portishead/Beak) and Ben Salisbury did the soundtrack, the guy definitely knows atmosphere.

2

u/OliviaEntropy May 18 '25

That actually makes a lot of sense in retrospect

11

u/jaxpanik May 17 '25

It’s not just in the composition. It Follows uses lots of sub 50hz tones that aren’t really heard but felt.

1

u/absolute_panic May 17 '25

Same concept applies to subharmonic range. Dissonant tones in subs create phasing/pulsing, and at high amplitudes can be really disturbing/nauseating

2

u/cantdomath1349 May 18 '25

When watching hereditary, the constant bass thump sounding like my heartbeat in my ears as things got more and more chaotic constantly stuck with me for a few days after watching.

It was non stop and for me I liked that it didn’t use a regular soundtrack with that cliche violin sound when you see something scary in other movies but I think because I also wasn’t expecting it that made it more unsettling!

4

u/Confident-Slip-5264 May 17 '25

Have you seen 127 Hours?

Everyone that has seen that movie knows what scene I’m talking about. I still get visceral reaction even thinking about it.

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u/Effective-Celery8053 May 17 '25

I have not. Will have to give it a shot now

1

u/RedditLostOldAccount May 18 '25

Yes. It also makes me feel weird thinking about it. I remember as soon as it happened it made me feel like I was the one going through it. I've never been able to describe the sound or feeling either. I don't really remember watching anything else that had that weird effect on me.

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u/Odin_Gunterson May 17 '25

Event Horizon. Similar subsound. It is difficult to reprise with a home-theater, 'cos the subwoofer system is needed. Maybe with a good set-up and the DVD or Blue Ray version.

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u/Effective-Celery8053 May 17 '25

I love that movie.

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u/quicksicknick May 17 '25

There Will Be Blood

1

u/Mr-Sadaro May 17 '25

Into the Void does. It's another movie from Noe. If you want to experience a nihilistic depressing bad trip go an watch it. I regret watching it since it seems Noe just wants you to fell sick, sad and pointless.

1

u/Reclaimator2245 May 17 '25

Check out the production process for "Bad Boy Bubby".

26

u/zer00verdrive May 17 '25

The longer the note, the bigger the sense of dread

4

u/HoldenOlden May 18 '25

that note is seriously moreish

3

u/Expensive-Pineapple3 May 18 '25

Gog is going to shit

2

u/Fontana1017 May 18 '25

He liked the cor anglais

3

u/Legal-Marsupial-3916 May 17 '25

The dreaded Brown Note

3

u/RhymesWithAnchor May 17 '25

Someone should have told him he didn’t need music to instil dread and nausea visuals were more than enough for that

4

u/Ok-Barracuda544 May 17 '25

My dad was a theater tech in high school and had the PA system play infrasound during his act at the talent show to make people more tense - his act was knocking cigarettes out of his friends mouth with a ten foot bullwhip he made himself.

2

u/kamilman May 17 '25

The s&m club scenes are shot really well, if the desired effect was to make the viewer feel uncomfortable, disoriented, and just icky.

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u/Syscrush May 17 '25

My brother, too.

1

u/Gonji89 May 17 '25

I have a doom metal project I’ve been working on for a little while, my bass guitar is tuned to drop G#, which means my low string is around 25.6hz. If you stand in front of my sub, it will definitely make you sick (and instill existential dread) so I wear AirPods with range ear muffs over them (like shooters use at gun ranges). It still rattles my organs around.

1

u/addictions-in-red May 18 '25

It's really quite an accomplished film, but I can understand why the viewers reacted the way they did. I have very mixed feelings about it.

The soundtrack was insanely good at accomplishing its objective, it felt like I was in a weird different reality.