Antichrist Marketing

As I admitted back in August, Lars von Trier's Antichrist is a film I have no intention of seeing. Ever.

Reviews are pouring in from Toronto and while plenty of people seem to admire the genius and daring of the film, there are plenty saying that the film contains the most horrible and disturbing images ever seen in cinema. That's not something I feel comfortable puting myself through, quite frankly.

But for those who are interested, I have some more marketing for you. First, there's this as-yet-unapproved poster, which I've heard is very appropriate, and I have to concede it's intriguing:

And then there's this trailer:

If the film is well-received after its release on October 23rd, we could see a surge of support for Charlotte Gainsbourg, who took home the Best Actress prize from Cannes last May. Somehow I think this is one film that AMPAS will be holding at arms length, however well-liked.

Not My Cup Of Tea

In case you can't read that rating strip underneath the title, Lars von Trier's Antichrist contains real sex, bloody violence and self-mutilation.

Clearly the makers of this sad excuse for a poster are aiming to sell the film on its shock value, a tactic that seems to be working, as bloggers and critics everywhere write about their anticipation for its release.

This all in spite of the fact that it caused complete outrage at the Cannes film festival back in May, where its female lead, Charlotte Gainsbourg, took home the Best Actress prize.

Since Oscar tries to make itself as much a stranger to controversy as is possible, I doubt it will receive the same attention from AMPAS next year, and so I plan to skip it. I have to draw the line somewhere.