Nymphomaniac (2013)

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CJ
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Nymphomaniac (2013)

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A bit late to the game on this one but I watched this recently. A really interesting film by Lars von Trier. Its a 2 part film, about 2 hours each. A man (Stellan Skarsgård) finds a barely conscious woman in an alley near his apartment. He brings her home and cares for her while she tells her life story, which largely revolves around being a sex addict/nymphomaniac. Skarsgård's character is a stoic we later find to be an asexual virgin.

Part one covers her younger life. I'm not sure if this was von Trier's intent but but part one I think many people would find sexy. There is much graphic sex on film including, from my limited research, real sex acts performed by body doubles. The main character in current times judges her young self harshly but in the flashbacks she has no shame or embarrassment about her sexuality. In part two, everything falls apart. That's the best way to say it. Part two isn't "sexy" IMO. Its more like watching Trainspotting or Requiem for a Dream. The film has a controversial ending that I won't spoil here but if anyone would like to discuss the film or the ending in subsequent posts, I'd be happy to debate.

Do I recommend this film? Its a slow burn and although the flashbacks cover a wide variety of locations and time frames, the cuts back to Skarsgård and Charlotte Gainsbourg give almost a chamber piece vibe. Maybe not recommended if you're squeamish or just not in the mood for gratuitous sex but being a much older person than when many of us met, I found it to be an interesting view into the messiness of people. Addiction, depression, self hatred, judgement/non-judgement, forgiveness, self-forgiveness...
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