Enter the Void

Enter the Void is a 2009 surrealist art film written and directed by Gaspar Noé, from a screenplay co-written with his wife Lucile Hadzihalilovic. Set in the neon-lit nightclub environments of Tokyo, the story follows Oscar (Nathaniel Brown), a young American drug dealer who gets fatally shot by the police, but continues to watch subsequent events during an out-of-body experience. The film is shot from a first-person viewpoint with extensive uses of long take, which often floats above the city streets, and occasionally features Oscar staring over his own shoulder as he recalls moments from his past. Noé labels the film a "psychedelic melodrama". A passion project for Noé since his adolescence, the film was in development hell for years until its production was made possible after the commercial success of his earlier feature, Irréversible (2002). Enter the Void was primarily financed by Wild Bunch, while Fidélité Films led the actual production. With a mix of professionals and newcomers, the film makes heavy use of imagery inspired by experimental cinema and psychedelic drug experiences. Principal photography took place on location in Tokyo, and involved many complicated crane shots. Co-producers included the visual effects studio BUF Compagnie, which also provided the computer-generated imagery. The film's soundtrack is a collage of electronic pop and experimental music. A rough cut premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, but post-production work continued, and the film was not released in France until almost a year later. A cut-down version was released in the United States and United Kingdom in September 2010. The critical response was sharply divided: positive reviews described the film as captivating and innovative, while negative reviews called it tedious and puerile. The film performed poorly at the box office.