The dramatic thriller Irreversible was filmed in 2002 in France and was quickly recognized as the most scandalous film of that time. Gaspard Noe, who was the director of the film, managed to tell a very interesting story in a new way – he shot the film using the reverse chronological order of the episodes. The episodes were filmed in one frame, without the use of any cuts, which creates the feeling of the viewer’s presence in that story. The camera is constantly in motion, the viewer does not remain calm for a second – the film is full of dynamism and active actions of the main characters.
The film takes place over the course of one day. The main character Alex tells her husband Marcus about an incomprehensible dream that she had the day before. She dreamed she was walking down a long red corridor that suddenly split in half at her feet. They do not attach importance to this dream, and very soon Alex will find out that he will soon become a mother. She and Marcus and ex-girlfriend Pierre go to a party together, where she gets into a fight with her husband over a small thing and returns home alone. But she does not reach the house – crossing an empty underground passage, she is severely beaten and raped by a maniac. Pierre and Marcus find out about this incident and decide to deal with this maniac. They find him in a gay club, but they mistook the psychopath for another person, and Markus almost becomes a victim of violence himself. Pierre saves him by hitting the rapist several times on the head with a fire extinguisher. The rapist who abused Alex was nearby all this time. This scene ends with Pierre being arrested for brutal murder and Marcus being taken to the hospital.
The next scene is very short and concise, but with a deep meaning: two men are talking among themselves, and one of them says that he was once arrested because of sexual contact with his daughter. Men begin to complain that the nearest gay club makes a lot of noise and express their dissatisfaction.
There are too many issues in this movie. For example, one of them is the problem of violence against people, and women in particular. The idea of the shown problem is that for any action committed by a person, retribution necessarily comes. Each of us should remember about the “life boomerang” – we will have to answer for our deeds.
The film also violates the problem of the relationship of society with representatives of non-traditional orientation. Many people do not understand this attitude towards creating relationships in the family, and they do not adequately perceive lesbians or gays. But in the film, the director once again pointed out that gay people are the same as us. Each of them has their own fate, problems, and their own worldview, which in one way or another was influenced by society and shaped their character and views on family values. After that, the same society points its fingers at gays, calling them inadequate and wanting to destroy the LGBT community as such. It should be remembered that we are all the same people, but the soul and views of the world are different for everyone.
The final scene of a conversation between two men describes perhaps the most terrible problem – the unwillingness to take responsibility for their own actions. Two men are just discussing the sex of one of them with their daughter, but complain about the noise that comes from the gay club. The saying “He sees a speck of dust in someone else’s eye, but they don’t notice a log in his own” just suitably characterizes the relationship between people. Everyone is ready to tear to shreds any other for minor offenses, and is ready to justify himself for the most terrible crime. Such injustice is simply amazing – no one pays attention to their misdeeds, sometimes justifies and keeps silent even illegal actions.
The film makes you think about what each of us does, sometimes without thinking, wanting to improve our lives. The director also wants to convey one simple truth: live without harming anyone else, pay attention to what is happening in your life. Everyone is responsible only for himself, and must remember the law of the boomerang.
