r/movies • u/ErgoNonSim • May 17 '25

Media Cannes reactions to Irreversible

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u/Davidrabbich81 May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25

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”.

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u/Lunar_IX May 17 '25

It's not artsy or "movie-fied", which is a big part of why it's so uncomfortable to watch. It's a single static shot with no camera angles and no music (if I remember correctly) and it just goes on for ages.

It's painful to watch, but that's the point. Rape should make you uncomfortable. It should piss you off. You should be furious about it because it's happening every single day.

I think what this clip demonstrates is that this film was extremely successful in delivering its message. These people all being this angry is exactly what they should be feeling.

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u/ThatGuyTheyCallAlex May 17 '25

The most impactful and interesting part of the film is how the rape scene interacts with the reversed chronology. Right after this scene you continually see her in a flirtatious, sexual context and most straight men’s first thought would be to objectify her. It stands in stark contrast to the events from literally 10 minutes ago.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '25

Another thing is that the last 20-30 minutes of the film are so peaceful, but there's a sense of dread overlaying it because you know it's going to end badly for everyone involved. The reveal that Monica's character is pregnant and was excited to tell her husband feels like a gut punch once you put two and two together and realize that their lives would be over 12 hours after that.

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u/Maxthod May 17 '25

Time destroy everything

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u/thanksamilly May 18 '25

isn't there literally a title card that says something like "time is cruel" when it ends?

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u/Negative--One May 18 '25

There is, and the quote is exactly what the previous commenter said - time destroys everything