During a drug deal in a nightclub called “The Void,” Oscar is betrayed. A police raid triggers a shootout, and Oscar is shot dead in a bathroom stall. The core gimmick of is that the camera—our eyes—never leaves Oscar’s floating point of view. For the remaining two hours, we are a ghost. We hover over the streets, pass through walls, and watch the fallout of his death unfold below.
The famous “acid sequence” where Oscar hallucinates while having sex with a Japanese transvestite is not a celebration of Tokyo’s permissiveness—it is a portrait of alienation. Oscar never learns Japanese. He is a foreign parasite inside a host city. When he dies, the city simply erases him, washing his blood off the bathroom floor while life continues overhead. No film by Gaspar Noé arrives without scandal. Following his 2002 rape-revenge epic Irréversible , Enter the Void -2009- was considered a “softer” film. That is a relative term. enter the void -2009-
For those brave enough to take the journey, remember Oscar’s mantra: “The book says you have to be a spectator. Don’t be afraid. You are already dead.” During a drug deal in a nightclub called
The film concludes with a controversial final act: as Oscar’s soul reaches the 49th day, he watches Linda give birth (presumably to his child, following an implied sexual encounter). The camera then travels into the newborn’s first breath, suggesting the cycle of death and rebirth is infinite. The most immediate, disorienting element of Enter the Void -2009- is its perspective. For roughly 90% of the runtime, we see through Oscar’s eyes. We see his hands, his feet, the back of his eyelids. For the remaining two hours, we are a ghost
A 4D acid trip of grief and neon. Not for everyone. Essential for no one. Unforgettable for all who dare. Keywords used: Enter the Void -2009-, Gaspar Noé, psychedelic film, first-person POV movie, Tokyo neon, avant-garde cinema.