One Hell of a Trip: Enter the Void (2010)

WARNING: This film contains graphic sexual content and drugs. But so does life, so get over yourself.

I was first recommended this movie by a far-from-sober foreigner in Shibuya. And after coming across this movie in a "Least Watched Great Films" list, I became more intrigued. Being a fan of his work in Drive (2011), I read that Ryan Gosling also chose this film as his best pick of the year. Now, I had to watch.

Directed by Gaspar Noé, Enter the Void is a French film. But you wouldn't know it as it is set in Tokyo with a predominantly American cast. The film follows the life-story of a conflicted young adult named Oscar, played by Nathaniel Brown. Longing for his sister (played by Paz de la Huerta), he turns to selling drugs in order to pay for her plane ticket over. The film explores their troubled past and the choices Oscar has made in life.

With a brilliant cast, amazing visuals, and excellent writing, it's hard to pass up this novel work.

But this isn't "just another film". It requires your attention and an open mind. Approaching it with strong preconceptions of drugs or the difference between right and wrong does it little justice.

With a production period of over 15 years, this film doesn't disappoint. As a Tokyo man myself, I must say it looks like someone did their homework. I felt the depictions of the city and the people to be fairly accurate. It never felt like the director was trying too hard to "capture" the city. Perhaps because the decision to set it in Kabukicho was an afterthought, it worked well. But it is a limited perspective nonetheless. Like a walk in the red light distrcit of Amsterdam won't give you a full grasp of the Netherlands, Enter The Void won't give you a complete picture of Japan. This film isn't meant to bring tourists to Japan though, so it's no loss. Sex, money, and drugs make big appearances; my friendly landlady or helpful friends do not.

If you're ready for a unique experience that, for better or for worse, you won't be able to forget anytime soon, then enter the void. A non-sober state is recommended.

NOTE: 72 hours after watching Enter the Void, it refused to leave the forefront of my brain. I have since heard many accounts of people finding it difficult to recover from this film. It brought me out of my sobriety from the seedy sides of Tokyo. I decided to take another peek. Here are some pictures I snapped the day after watching the film of Kabukicho, Tokyo's red light district.

Kabukicho, Shinjuku in Tokyo