Filmme Fatale

mythoftheheart asked: Why would you give a commentary about rape scenes in regards to a question about Irreversible when you haven't even seen it? This especially annoys me since the whole point of Irreversible is to be the antithesis to just the type of films you are criticizing. It is set chronologically backwards as a commentary on how rape should not be a payoff, and is possibly just the type of film feminists are yearning for about rape, in that it is brutally honest but not exploitative.

That post, along with a couple others I’ve posted and messages I’ve exchanged with other bloggers on here, is actually about why I’ve chosen not to watch Irreversible; it was not meant to be a commentary at all on the film itself. The writing is tangential and meandering, so I understand how I could’ve come off as an ignorant naysayer (especially with my statement about how I’m sure the rape scene in Irreversible wasn’t meant to educate anyone), but I meant it in the context of a larger dialog happening at the time about rape in film and media, specifically Fincher’s Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Like I said in that post, I can only speak for myself when I say that I do not find catharsis in rape scenes. I know others can - I’ve gotten some great messages from people who stand by Irreversible - but I personally don’t yearn for them, no matter how “brutally honest” they are, so I unashamedly avoid them. Again, I didn’t mean to knock a film I’ve never seen. Irreversible was just a springboard due to its brutal rape-centric plot.

I’ve yet to see anyone on here write about it; if you’re interested, I’d love to know what you think of it as a feminist filmgoer.