By Anthony Frajman
Climax by Gaspar Noé has made a splash at Cannes, screening to largely rapturous notices at the Croisette. Noé’s first film since Love in 2015, has again created debate among viewers and reviewers, but has received a mostly warm reception.
Unsurprisingly for Noé, the film is said to unabashedly steer headlong into rocky territory, taking on sex, drugs, self-mutilation, violence, and other expected Noé tropes.
Climax, which is said to also veer into genre territory, and was described by Variety as “Fame directed by the Marquis de Sade with a Steadicam”, centres around a youth dance musical, and has locked up distribution in the US with A24.
Noé’s fifth feature – following I Stand Alone, Irreversible, Into the Void and Love – premiered in the storied director’s fortnight section at Cannes. An Australian distributor is unknown at this point, but expect it to pop up at the 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival.
