• Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About
Menu

World of Reel

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Home
IMG_4846.jpg
A24 Lands Dev Patel’s ‘The Peasant’ in $30M Deal
IMG_5161.jpg
Mikey Madison Lands First Post-Oscar Role in ‘Reptilia’
IMG_5160.jpg
Chad Stahelski’s ‘Highlander’ Reboot to Shoot in September
IMG_5158.jpg
Disney Re-Releasing ‘Snow White’ in 1200+ Screens This Weekend
IMG_5156.jpg
Box-Office: ‘Thunderbolts' and ‘Sinners' to Battle for #1 This Weekend
Featured
Capture.PNG
Aug 19, 2019
3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC
Aug 19, 2019

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Aug 19, 2019

World of Reel

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Lists
  • More
    • Yearly Top Tens
    • Trailers
  • About
    • Contact
    • Hire Me
    • About

Willem Dafoe Says Lars Von Trier’s ‘Antichrist’ Is Misunderstood

January 14, 2025 Jordan Ruimy

I get why Lars von Trier is one of the most polarizing filmmakers in the world. He’s unafraid to push buttons and has built a career out of provocation. With that said, one of his most debated films must surely be “Antichrist,” which stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

In a recent interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Dafoe specifically names “Antichrist” as a film he’s proud of, and goes on to claim that the film has been totally misunderstood.

“I think it gets misidentified because of some of its extremeness,” Dafoe said, “but I think it really speaks to interesting things about women’s power, men’s fear of women, the struggle between the logical and the magical in life. There’s lots of sexual politics in it, and it’s not about misogyny at all.”

He added, “I think [von Trier] identifies with the women more than the man. I can tell you that because I play the straight, logical one in the movie. But I think he’s genuinely curious and he’s a great filmmaker. So, you know, the opening of that movie and the epilogue of that movie is great cinema.”

“Antichrist” was this deeply disturbing film about a married couple (Dafoe and Gainsbourg) dealing with the tragic loss of their child. It’s set up much in the vein of Roeg’s “Don’t Look Now,” except instead of going to Venice, the couple in Von Trier’s film relocate to a cabin in the woods to get away from everything, but while there, they both begin to descend into madness.

 The film is the work of a madman. We later learned that Von Trier was directing “Antichrist” while battling a deep depression, and it shows. In that same interview Dafoe reveals the struggle the filmmaker had while making the film.

“He used to say to me every day, “Listen, I may not be there tomorrow, but I can direct you remotely from a trailer I have,” Dafoe said. “But he showed up every day. But he needed to tell me that every day, me and Charlotte. It kind of breaks your heart. So, he’s a guy that struggles with many things, but he’s got a big heart and he also has given a lot to cinema.”

There’s no light in “Antichrist.” The first time I saw the film, I didn’t like it. A second viewing revealed more of its nuances to me. This was a story about resentment, mourning and depression, but set in a mystical world. It’s punishingly intense, and the type of film one wouldn’t necessarily want to go back to and revisit.

Editor’s Note: It should be noted that “Antichrist” came very close to winning the Palme d’Or, and that would have surely changed its standing today.

Behind the scenes, Jury President Isabelle Huppert and fellow juror James Gray “fought bitterly” over which film deserved the top prize, partly because she loved “Antichrist” (for which Gainsbourg ended up wining Best Actress) and he loved Jacques Audiard’s “A Prophet” (which ended up winning the Grand Prix). They finally settled on Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” for the Palme.

← Who is the Most Promising U.S Director?Trailer for Barry Levinson's ‘The Alto Knights' Finally Released by Warner Bros. →

FOLLOW US!


Trending

Featured
IMG_4571.jpg
David Fincher & Brad Pitt Reunite for ‘The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth' + Plot Details
IMG_4549.png
Warners Bros. Chief Admits Missteps on ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’: “We Misread the Room”
IMG_4541.jpg
Scorsese’s Next Film? Hawaiian Mob Epic With Dwayne Johnson Eyes 2026 Shoot
Capture.png
Jim Caviezel to be De-Aged in ‘The Resurrection of the Christ'
IMG_4465.png
Harmony Korine Says Hollywood Struggling Because “Movies Suck Today”

Critics Polls

Featured
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants
B16BAC21-5652-44F6-9E83-A1A5C5DF61D7.jpeg
Critics Poll: Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Tops Our 1960s Critics Poll
Capture.PNG
Critics Poll: ‘The Godfather’ Named Best Movie of the 1970s
public.jpeg
Critics Poll: ‘Do the Right Thing' Named Best Movie of the 1980s
Critics Poll: ‘Mulholland Drive' Named Best Film of the 2000s
g4.jpg
Critics' Poll: ‘Goodfellas' Named Best Movie of the 1990s
Critics Poll: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road' Named Best Movie of the 2010s
World of Reel tagline.PNG
 

Content

Contribute

Hire me

 

Support

Advertise

Donate

 

About

Team

Contact

Privacy Policy

Site designed by Jordan Ruimy © 2023