Horror movie with real-life sex scene was handed an 'anti-award' due to controversy around it
Warning: The article contains descriptions of violence and gore
A horror movie that premiered at Cannes Film Festival earned an 'anti-award' over its explicit and violent content.
Starring Poor Things' Willem Dafoe and Melancholia's Charlotte Gainsbourg, the controversial film premiered at Cannes Film Festival back in 2009.
A gothic fable exploring grief and depression, Lars von Trier's Antichrist tells the story of an unnamed Seattle couple who try to reconnect after their toddler son Nic dies in an accident. In order to strengthen their relationship, the pair head to a secluded cabin in the woods — never a good place to go for a little break, unless you want something terrible to happen.
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Of course, things turn very sexual and extremely violent for the couple, with some intense, graphic scenes guaranteed to shock viewers.
The film includes a penetrative sex sequence at the base of a tree intertwined with dead bodies, as well as a scene where Gainsbourg's character cuts off her clitoris with a pair of rusty scissors.
According to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) the film is rated 18 for its 'clearly adult in theme and tone from the outset, including strong images of real sex, bloody violence, strong gory images, and a scene of self-mutilation'.
The 'strong' real sex features 'unsimulated penetration' and 'images of genital contact', which led to the film restrictive classification.
But instead of Dafoe and Gainsbourg, body doubles were used in the intimate scenes - and this was apparently because according to von Tier, Dafoe was 'too well endowed'.
In an interview, the director claimed that the actor's penis was 'enormous' that it left 'people confused', saying: "He [Dafoe] has an enormous d**k. We had to take those scenes out of the film. We had a stand-in for him because we had to take the scenes out with his own d**k.”
Antichrist's polarising story and visuals earned the film some criticism, with the BBFC saying that various people even walked out during screenings, whilst France24 reported that at least four moviegoers 'fainted' during its Cannes premiere.
At the festival, Antichrist quickly garnered attention and was awarded an anti-prize by an Ecumenical Jury which hands out a prize to a Cannes film that celebrates spiritual values.
In 2009, the prize went to Ken Loach's Looking for Eric, but the jury couldn't fail but acknowledge von Trier's 'misogynist' film in some way.
The jury president, Romanian-born French filmmaker Radu Mihaileanu, said in a statement to AFP that von Trier's film suggested that 'women should be burnt at the stake so that men can finally stand up'.
Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux didn't back the decision, calling it censorship-adjacent in an interview with AFP.
According to Fremaux, the anti-award to Antichrist was a "ridiculous decision that borders on a call for censorship, [it is] scandalous coming from an 'ecumenical' jury which what is more is headed by a film-maker."
Despite the outrage surrounding the film's Cannes premiere, Gainsbourg's performance earned her a Best Actress award.
Antichrist is available to rent or buy on AppleTV+ and other platforms in the UK. In the US, it is also available for free on Kanopy.
Topics: Cannes Film Festival, Film, Sex and Relationships
Stefania Sarrubba