THE PLOT THUS FAR
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Nymphomaniac” caught me off guard. Sure, I’ve got a love/hate relationship with the work of Von Trier, but when the guy is on the ball…he’s on fire. Outside of a few missteps with casting, Lars found something really effective in this tale of a young woman remembering her sexual past. Charlotte Gainsbourg is one of the most talented actresses working today and yet she gets few chances to show off her range in films that could catch mainstream attention. While this picture is far from the mainstream, the recognizable supporting cast and heavy PR push from Magnolia nabbed it a bit more attention than what was typical.
Stellan Skarsgard works wonders, as his Seligman helps to frame Joe’s tales of being a child discovering her sexuality and then the teenage years spent acting upon it. Joe views herself as a damaged and sinful, while Seligman is so willing to keep prying and find out why. Along the way, the audience learns how Joe’s sexual appetites developed and how she became aware of the people that she might be hurting. It was pretty impressive and it left me applauding. Well, applauding as much as a movie like this would allow.
The Blu-Ray comes with featurettes and trailers. The A/V Quality is far better than most of the Von Trier HD releases, except for Breaking the Waves. The 1080p transfer is damn near reference quality. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track does the best with what it is given. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the mature.
RELEASE DATE: 07/08/2014