Climax, 2019

Most people already have a sense whether or not they will like Climax before going into it. My wife, for example, is not a Gaspar Noé fan, and I was astonished when she agreed to go with me to see his latest release. She made it about 30 minutes into the film and left to sit in the lobby for the remainder. On the other hand, I have (I don’t think enjoyed is the right word but horror people get it) Noé’s films in the past, and Climax had been one of my most anticipated upcoming horror films since it came to Fantastic Fest last year and I wasn’t able to go. 30 minutes into my viewing experience, and I knew things were about to get wild. The dancing, and my wife agrees, was incredible. I could watch the first dance sequence of the film on repeat and never become uninterested. It was marvelous, and the music, too, was truly hypnotic. I know everyone is saying this, but I mean it when I say this is Noé’s best film to date. It was both beautiful and sickening. The latter half of the movie had me feeling so nauseous, with the lights and the music and the horror, that I had to look down at the floor every so often to keep from being sick. That NEVER happens to me. Despite this, the way the film affected me emotionally and the overall quality of the filmmaking on display not only makes Climax a must see for horror fans this year, it also pushes artistic boundaries within the genre and that is my most favorite thing. Dance horror! Let’s have more of it, please.