Irreversible (2002)

Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in the underpass.

Director:

Gaspar Noé

Writer:

Gaspar Noé

Stars:

Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel

3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Monica Bellucci	...	Alex (as Bellucci)
Vincent Cassel	...	Marcus (as Cassel)
Albert Dupontel	...	Pierre (as Dupontel)
Jo Prestia	...	Le Tenia (as Prestia)
Philippe Nahon	...	L'homme (as Nahon)
Stéphane Drouot	...	Stéphane (as Drouot)
Jean-Louis Costes	...	Fistman (as Costes)
Michel Gondoin	...	Mick (as Gondouin)
Mourad Khima	...	Mourad (as Khima)
Hellal	...	Layde
Nato	...	Commissaire
Fesche	...	Chauffeur Taxi
Jara-Millo	...	Concha (as Jaramillo)
Le Quellec	...	Inspecteur
Isabelle Giami	...	Copine d'Alex enceinte (as Giami)

Storyline

Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in the underpass. Her boyfriend and ex-lover take matters into their own hands by hiring two criminals to help them find the rapist so that they can exact revenge. A simultaneously beautiful and terrible examination of the destructive nature of cause and effect, and how time destroys everything.

---

Plot Keywords:

revenge | unsimulated sex | rape | sexual violence | long take | 

---

Taglines:

Le temps détruit tout - Time destroys everything

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Spanish Italian English

Release Date:

22 May 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

Irreversible

Filming Locations:

Buttes Chaumont, Paris 19, Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$635,610 (France), 24 May 2002

Opening Weekend USA:

$60,086, 9 March 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$753,501, 20 April 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

120 Films, Canal+, Eskwad

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Among the albums visible in Alex's record collection are Brainticket's "Cottonwoodhill" and Cream's "Disraeli Gears."

---

Goofs

At the party Vincent Cassel gives his characters name as "Vincent" instead of "Marcus." He quickly covers his mistake and saves the scene.

---

Quotes

[to Alex, just before she is raped in the underpass]
Woman on Street: Take the underpass. It's safer.

---

Crazy Credits

The capital letter "E" is written backwards in the credits.

---

Connections

Referenced in I'm Still Here (2013)

---

Soundtracks

Symphony No. 7 in A Major op. 92
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven (as Beethoven)
Koka Media

User Reviews

A strange but not bad movie

This is one of the rarest film I've ever seen in my life. I can understand that sometimes this film is quite hard to put up with it, specially the outrageous Monica Bellucci's rape scene and I can understand too that many people, above all women, left the cinema. Needless to say this film is neither a porno movie nor tasteless sequences screened as if they tendon,t make sense. Lots of readings can be extracted after its showing. What might have gone on if the couple hadn't argued each other? Our life is not always the same as ever, could change a lot depending on occasions. Maybe our future is written in spite of not being aware of it. The performances are quite convincing: Monica Bellucci is a lot more than a pretty face and a stunning body and this transgressive film is going to introduce her to stardom ( I hardly ever imagine an actress so conventional, for example, Julia Roberts played a role like this). The men roles center on her but from my point of view Vincent Cassel's character is a bit upset and overacts at times opposite Albert Dupontel's which is calm and sensible to fly into a rage in a fortunately "politicatelly incorrect" ending. It is certainly a good movie, it's worth seeing unless you've got some preconceived ideas against out-of-the-way movies like this one. Apart from blockbusters there's another kind of cinema!