To appreciate Lux Aeterna, it is helpful to understand how exactly it came to exist. Fashion brand Saint Laurent was in the market for some fresh branded content, and with fairly deep pockets in tow they began to approach various artists to participate in a special campaign. With the only stipulation being the use of their clothes and some celebrity faces, the canvas was pretty bare for creatives to play around with in imaginative ways. It is when you introduce an artist such as Gaspar Noé, director of such pearl-clutching features as Irreversible and Climax, that things can quickly become unhinged. What presumably could have been a 5-10 short film oddity bloomed into a 51-minute experimental almost-feature which takes viewers on a visually assaultive journey with layers of social commentary – also, the fashion. You cannot approach someone like Noé with a blank check and no boundaries and expect something ready for mass consumption.
It is clear from the opening moments of the film that Noé is positioning his film as something capital “I” important. Using quotes from classic auteurs such as Luis Buñuel and Carl Theodor Dreyer in intermittent interstitials along with clips from silent classics such as Day of Wrath and Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages, we are invited into the perception that art transcends entertainment, and that entertainment often comes at the expense of women. From physical endangerment, such as the aforementioned Day of Wrath or Jean Seberg in Saint Joan, to sexual exploitation (e.g. 90% of movies, conservatively), women are systematically stripped bare in the entertainment industry on a consistent basis in a way that has not improved as much as anyone might want to hope.
This is indirectly the allure of the first proper scene within this constructed narrative in which all of the performers are playing a heightened version of themselves. Iconic French actress Béatrice Dalle (Betty Blue) plays herself as the director of the witch persecution drama “God’s Work” which is to culminate with a classic burning at the stake. The mesmerizing opening is a 12 minute conversation between Dalle and her star Charlotte Gainsbourg, herself no stranger to boundary-pushing filmmakers as a favorite of Lars von Trier. Within this cozy setting, on a soundstage by a crackling fire, these two women playfully reflect back on their careers and treatment within the entertainment industry. Dalle dominates this time, walking the narrow line between modern, fed-up woman and actress desensitized to the “old ways” of doing things to the point where she laughs it off with a joke. She reflects on being burned at the stake herself with a great romanticism, partly because it is her truth and partly to put Gainsbourg at ease with her forthcoming scene.
Gainsbourg is the more passive figure in this equation, but she is equally transfixing with her half smirks to some of Dalle’s more outrageous proclamations. Gainsbourg herself has some war stories, including an interaction with a young, overexcited scene partner that leaves your mind reeling with the potential gossip behind the scenes of your favorite movie love scenes. No names are ever mentioned, and there is no real indication that this improvised conversation contains any truths, but on some level you can feel that these two are tapping into something honest. These two understand one another, and there is a comfort in just having these women connect on a deeper artistic level. Of course, Noé is not one for comforting films, and soon chaos descends upon this production.
As is typical in female spaces, chaos comes in the form of men intruding and taking up the space they believe they are entitled to. Some moments may seem harmless at first glance, such as an ambitious young American director Karl (Karl Glusman, Love), who insists on pitching Gainsbourg his next film, willfully ignorant of the poor timing on his part which elevates to verbally combative the longer the movie persists. There are also the more forthright confrontations, such as the producers on the film who are trying to undercut and dismiss Dalle at every turn. Every person on set has their one thing they want to accomplish, and they are often blind to the fact that their one request is just one in an avalanche of issues suffocating these women. Despite the set being helmed by a woman, the disregard shown on all fronts is upsetting. You have nudity clauses being rewritten on the fly and a cinematographer hijacking the production to suit his own wild creative vision. It is enough to make you want to scream.
Noé captures all of this with the split-screen technique he would use to even more thematically effective means in the recent Vortex. The opening salvo is especially enhanced by this, as you get to focus on each actress’ expression while they are sharing their stories and taking in what the other is saying. It is this subtle material that makes the biggest impression. As the set descends into bedlam, the two perspectives keep viewers in a state of disorientation. Conversations overlap, nerves are frayed, and no one takes a moment to breathe – not really. As anxiety builds within the performers, so it builds in the audience. This culminates in a dazzling, draining malfunctioning background that pulsates colorful strobes of red, blue and green in rapid succession. The performers tied to the stakes are slowly drained of their vitality as no one seeks to rescue them, thus fulfilling the prophetic conclusion.
At its best, Lux Aeterna can be shaped to honor all of these grand feminist ideas. The movie does not always operate at its best, though, and you have to wade through more of an opaque swamp to glean any real meaning, especially in the sensorially oppressive climax. The movie is far from a pleasant watch, but it keeps you glued to the screen to see what Noé and his band of misfits have in store. With the runtime being less than an hour, we are more amenable to bold experimentation, and this certainly fits the bill. What could have been a glorified commercial evolved into a memorable short film which leaves you feeling six feet above your body. Just know this experience is more for the Noé and the performers, and if you happen to gain something from it then that is just an added bonus for Noé.
Video Quality
Lux Aeterna debuts domestically on Blu-Ray courtesy of Yellow Veil Pictures with a pleasing 1080p video presentation that fans of Noé should really appreciate. As mentioned, the film is presented in a largely split-screen style of two 1.33:1 frames in a 2.35:1 package. The high definition master is quite striking, and the encode reveals very little in the way of compression artifacts or macroblocking. The way in which this film was shot with roaming cameras and locations drenched in shadows sometimes leaves you lacking for fine detail, but this appears to be by design.
When it wants to, the presentation provides a pleasing amount of depth on display, especially in the dressing rooms. The set design along with the fabrics of clothing provide distinct textural details. The image is free of artifacts and the color palette gets to go wild in the final stretch of the film with vibrant hues piercing your eyes. The black levels do appear to lack a bit of depth in certain corners of the studio and show minute signs of crush and banding in certain shots. The flesh tones are natural with some noticeable detail present in close-ups. Overall, this Blu-Ray is as fine of a presentation as you could ask for from this film.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray provides a formidable DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track with its combination of French and English which perfectly captures the chaotic sound design to this film. The film begins with a simple conversation between two people, leading you to believe it might not be the most dynamic experience, but things quickly escalate. Once the rest of the crew is introduced, the environmental sounds of the setting engage the speakers in an effective way. When the characters are roaming from room to room, there are some intriguing ambient details that flesh out the setting. Dialogue is the driving force of the film, and it comes through mostly clearly when it is not being overwhelmed by overlapping dialogue. You might have to watch this film more than once to get all of the nuances of the conversations. Certain sound effects such as the propulsive thumping near the end of the film engage the low end of the track in a way that provides some nice texture to the proceedings. This release provides English and English SDH subtitles.
Special Features
Disc One
- Audio Commentary: Writer/director Gaspar Noé and actress Béatrice Dalle provide an entertaining and informative commentary track in which they reflect on cinema as an artform, finding quotes from the past that were relevant to the text, the atmosphere during the production, the decision to present the film in split screen, the process of working on a largely improvised film, their history with the performers on screen, the joy Béatrice took in giving an “earful” to the men, the freedom in creativity with this shoot and more. The one kind of odd thing about this track is when the participants take a pause in speaking (in their native French with English subtitles), the subtitles reflect the dialogue on screen which are already being subtitled resulting in double subtitles of the same information.
- Introduction: There is an 11-minute optional introduction from director Gaspar Noé at the Metrograph in NYC in which he recounts how this project came about from the humorous initial meeting with the financiers to the chaotic production and quick turnaround in the editing process to ensure it could premiere at Cannes.
- Lux In Tenebris: Six minutes of still photos by Tom Kan are provided here from the production of the film.
- Split Screen Video Essay: A nearly eight-minute exploration by Chris O’Neill of the history of the split-screen technique in cinema from its initial introduction into the artform to its utilization in various works of art. The presentation is a bit boring with simple text delivering the information on the bottom of the screen while footage from the film plays with the haunting score.
- Karl Glusman Interview: A nearly 11-minute interview with actor Karl Glusman in which he discusses how he was approached with this project, the experience of working with Gaspar Noé, the magic of being surprised on set, the difficulties that his outfit caused him, the realities of shooting with the strobe lights, the actual composition of the shots and more.
- Trailer: This disc provides the Theatrical Trailer (1:26), Teaser Trailer #1 (0:56) and Teaser Trailer #2 (0:53).
Disc Two
- Short Films That Inspired Lux Aeterna
- Inauguration Of The Pleasure Dome (Anger, 1954): A nearly 39-minute film from Kenneth Anger which provides a visual spectacle in the form of ritual masquerade with layered images and an orchestral score. This is presented in a lovely HD print with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track.
- La Ricotta (Pasolini, 1962): A 36-minute film from Pier Paolo Pasolni which finds Orson Welles playing a stand-in version of Pasolini directing a film about Jesus. During the course of filming, an extra played by a poor man is treated in a manner that really shines a light on the discrepancy between the teachings of religion and how people who follow those religions actually act. This is presented in a nice HD print with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track.
- Ray Gun Virus (Sharits, 1966): A nearly 15-minute film from Paul Sharits which strictly features flickering images of colored frames that change hues throughout with amplified sounds of the film running through the projector. This is presented in an HD print with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track.
- The Flicker (Conrad, 1966): A 30-minute film from Tony Conrad which is another exercise in experimental strobing filmmaking. This is presented in an HD print with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track.
Final Thoughts
Lux Aeterna is a frenzied experience shaped into something with perceived depth by the polarizing master Gaspar Noé. There are moments that feel a bit too untethered, but it is impressive to see how he reins in the chaos of these interactions into something that does make you reflect on lofty themes. The two core performances by Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg are terrific, and the remainder of the ensemble all shine in their own, occasionally frustrating, ways. Yellow Veil Pictures and Vinegar Syndrome have released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a terrific assortment of special features. If you are up for being challenged by Noé, do not be afraid to seek this one out. Recommended
Lux Aeterna will be available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome on July 26, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Yellow Veil Pictures and Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.