CLIMAX (2018) Gaspar Noé

French dancers gather in a remote, empty school building to rehearse on a wintry night. The all-night celebration morphs into a hallucinatory nightmare when they learn their sangria is laced with LSD.

What was so offensive about this movie that caused walkouts during its debut at Cannes?

Was it warranted? Yes. And no. Aggressive and provocative sure, but you should know what you’re in for when you walk into a Gaspar Noé film. And interestingly, only 6-7 people walking out is pretty tame for this director.

This is one of those films where a spoiler warning isn’t necessary - the description listed is exactly what you get. This is a French-language film about a street-dance troupe at a rehearsal in an empty school in the dead of winter. Couple this with some spiked sangria (unbeknownst to all the dancers), you get an LSD-fueled nightmare. Nightmare? Perhaps an understatement. I’m not sure if taking LSD against your will could be described as anything other than walking through literal hell.

In the beginning, you meet the characters in an interview style. They’re street dancers, most of whom have never left France before and excited for the opportunity to perform in the U.S. One of the lines from the interview (and frankly, the entire movie) stick out to me the most,

“America. It's heaven on earth." "You've been there?" "Never. I come from hell."

The dance sequence in the first act is arresting. Beautiful and hypnotic, the dancers had clear chemistry and worked well off one another, each showcasing their own specialty without overshadowing another. More importantly, they have their agency and we see them in control. The mood is cheerful, everyone is excited and amped! -- until it all goes to shit when the sangria comes out.

While the script left something to be desired and is actually pretty offensive at times, it’s important to note most of it was improvised. Gaspar Noé had certain touch points he wanted to meet in the movie, but how the characters got there was up to their interpretation. I’m not sure if I feel better or worse after learning this information. But it does explain the lacklustre lines and hesitation in some of the scenes.

Once the dancers find out they’ve been drugged, the film changes from a dance genre to something more sinister. The change in the atmosphere is palpable, and all you can do is watch with your anxiety spiking after every scene. The reds of the room become quickly suffocating, and the chemistry and self control in the first half of the film is replaced with dark, seething paranoia and undirected rage. Is it Lord of the Flies? No, but one by one, you see the disdain each has for the other. And then you witness how that disdain evolves into something monstrous entirely.

The nightmare begins as a trickle, and as it gains force you, as the viewer, are left with unrelenting dread, all the way until the finishing title card. The booming music and red and green of each room are as disorienting as the behaviour of the dancers. Is it a happy ending? No. But I think you already knew that. It is Gaspar Noé, after all.

Like all of his other films, Climax is no different with its visceral viewing experience. Are you changed by its conclusion? No, it’s a formula done before - we already know humans’ propensity for violence and selfishness and the little push it takes to go over the edge. However, it’s still a journey that feels real despite its chaos. While not a mirror, the paranoia and confusion still manages to creep and settle underneath your skin.