Climax

There is something so inspiring, and simultaneously infuriating about Gaspar Noe’s “throw everything at the wall” approach to filmmaking. Regardless of the overall quality of his films, you are guaranteed to be at the very least intrigued by them. Climax certainly holds true to this sentiment, and delivers, for better or worse, one of the most anxiety-inducing cinematic experiences of the year. 

The film centers around a group of young dancers at a studio in France and their increasingly hectic (to put it lightly) night. We are introduced to each character through a series of interviews at the beginning that frankly goes on a little too long but still manages to set up these clashing personalities and dynamics in a way that you wonder how they will all get along in such a competitive environment. Noe’s insistence on working without a script definitely has its drawbacks in the overall pacing of this opening segment, but the improvisational feel of these interview segments really adds a layer of reality to the film that truly makes it unlike anything else. After this initial setup, we are then treated to the bulk of the story; long, uninterrupted camera movements capturing the night’s slow descent into lunacy, with a few dances scenes thrown in to keep the energy high and motion throughout.

These long segments are the most appealing aspect of the film. The camera glides through these dancers, eavesdropping on these characters, granting us unbiased views of everyone’s thoughts and interactions as house music pours from every wall and speaker. It almost feels Hitchcockian in the way these micro conflicts are slowly built up right in front of our eyes. Sexual advances are put down, dreams and aspirations are shared, and a festering competition is being built between all of these starry-eyed dancers, all trying to make an impression on the director as she tries to keep her young son from having too much face time with them. It’s a narrative juggling act happening right before our eyes, but then Noe hits the Noe button and everything starts to kick into high gear.

The first 40 minutes of this film is slow but informative. Stylish and indulgent, yes, but to a lesser extent coming from someone as infamous as Noe. But at about the midpoint, we start to see what’s really been happening this whole time. Someone has spiked the Sangria bowl that (almost) everyone has been practically swimming in for the past hour, and the effects are starting to show. Noe then uses this plot point to craft a drug-induced whodunit, all from the perspective of the sober eyes of the camera. It’s this unchanged perspective that makes this turn all the more interesting, as we see firsthand the explosive mixture of paranoia and bliss that each character is feeling. It’s an extremely anxious feeling, watching everyone start to realize what is happening and collectively losing their minds, and Noe captures this descent with pinpoint accuracy, showing us all that we want and need to see. The thumping music, that not one hour ago was keeping the party chugging along, now acts as the soundscape to this escalating madness. Noe creates a sensory hellscape of sounds and lights that induces just as much anxiety in us as it does these unfortunate souls and makes for some truly exciting cinema. 

The juggling act starts to fall apart, however, as Noe seemingly abandons this psychedelic mystery to indulge in more of his trademark cinematic hedonism. After a few scenes of under the influence investigative work, these characters completely forget about finding the culprit and instead focus on their own individual survival. This leads to some very dark moments of violence and abuse towards each other, which is interesting for the extremeness of it all, but by the end I found myself lamenting what could’ve been, wishing that Noe would hang onto this plot he constructed solely as a conductor. It’s a rare sentiment to lambaste Noe for shying away from the plot, but it’s one I hold, regardless. 

The more conventional Noe fan will find a lot to love about this film. His trademark high energy degeneracy is still in full swing, even after an overly long and (comparatively subdued) beginning, but for the fans of the more cautious side of Noe, this film will be an entertaining tease at what he could do if he added a little more method to the madness.