Watch unlimited films online for $6.99.
Try MUBI for FREE.
 

Antichrist

Denmark, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Poland

2009

108 Min
Color, Black and White
2.35:1
English
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

   |   

DIR Lars von Trier

EXEC Peter Garde, Peter Aalbæk Jensen

PROD Meta Louise Foldager

SCR Lars von Trier

DP Anthony Dod Mantle

CAST Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe

ED Åsa Mossberg, Anders Refn

PROD DES Karl Júlíusson

SOUND Kristian Eidnes Andersen

Cannes (In Competition): Best Actress, Edinburgh, Toronto (Masters), New York, Melbourne

Synopsis

Lars von Trier shook up the film world when he premiered Antichrist at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. In this graphic psychodrama, a grief-stricken man and woman—a searing Willem Dafoe and Cannes best actress Charlotte Gainsbourg—retreat to a cabin deep in the woods after the accidental death of their infant son, only to find terror and violence at the hands of nature and, ultimately, each other. But this most confrontational work yet from one of contemporary cinema’s most controversial artists is no mere provocation. It is a visually sublime, emotionally ravaging journey to the darkest corners of the possessed human mind; a disturbing battle of the sexes that pits rational psychology against age-old superstition; and a profoundly effective horror film. –The Criterion Collection

Director

Original

Lars von Trier

With a back-story (almost) as singular as his films, Danish director Lars von Trier was one of the most exceptional filmmakers to burst onto the international film scene in the 1990s. Unapologetically confident in his artistry and an unabashed provocateur, von Trier could kick up a fuss about his behavior, but his stylistic brio, extreme narratives, and ability with actors prevented such films as Zentropa (1991), The Kingdom (1994), Breaking the Waves (1996), and Dancer in the Dark (2000) from being eclipsed by their creator. Even as he openly sought a larger audience by making films in English, von Trier’s success helped resurrect Scandinavian cinema’s international prominence; his intense fear of flying ensured he’d never “go Hollywood.”

Raised by his radical, nudist Communist parents in an unconventional environment where, as von Trier once put it, everything was permitted except “feelings, religion and enjoyment,” von Trier blossomed into a neurotic, left-wing, movie-loving… read more

Wall

Displaying 4 of 250 wall posts.
Picture of Chelsea
Picture of Christopher A. Cook

Christopher A. Cook

8Jan12

This movie is horrific,I find it almost completely worth merit has put a horrific image in my head. One could argue that by doing that it has achieved it's artistic purpose, but fuck that. I'm for completely disturbing images if I believe there will be some artistic pay off but I find none. What I got from this movie was don't be misogynistic, but all women are secretly witches. It is shot well though.

  • Picture of DT

    DT

    9Jan12

    That's exactly how I felt on my first viewing. Once you can get past all that in subsequent rewatches, the film really starts to come through.

Picture of Conquest of Gaul

Conquest of Gaul

3Jan12

He has some serious issues with women.

cinemaforever and Susie Q like this

Picture of Michael Harbour

Michael Harbour

3Jan12

I didn't like "Antichrist" as much as the other von Trier movies I've seen (Breaking the Waves, Dogville) both of which I thought were brilliant. It is a really interesting and challenging (well, of course, it's von Trier) movie, much of it very beautiful.

Related Films

Fans

Displaying 5 of 3390 fans.

Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

Kazan, Cazale and More DVDs

By David Hudson on November 9, 2010

The Elia Kazan Collection, featuring 15 films and Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones's A Letter to Elia, is clearly the release of the week

read article
W184

Movie Posters of the Year

By Adrian Curry on January 1, 2010

Since it’s no secret by now that The Girlfriend Experience is my favorite movie poster of the year and since I already selected a few of these

read article
W184

Lists and Awards #7: Salon, Film Comment, SFBG, L and More

By David Hudson on December 28, 2009

Previously: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Plus: Launched on Monday and running for a while, The Notebook's 2nd Annual Writers Poll. Part 2's up, too

read article
W184

Movie Poster of the Day: "Antichrist" (Again!)

By Notebook on September 28, 2009

Lars von Trier's hoot-of-a-new-film may inspire a lot of boring critical bile—we still stand by our take from Cannes—but it is also inspiring

read article
W184

The Auteurs Daily: Toronto and NYFF. Antichrist

By David Hudson on September 23, 2009

Back in May, that entry for Lars von Trier's Antichrist just went on and on and on. Covering the coverage during Cannes is always a kick

read article
W184

Movie Poster of the Week: "Antichrist"

By Adrian Curry on September 11, 2009

Visually striking and deeply unpleasant, and thus perfectly in sync with the film it is promoting, the Australian poster for Lars von Trier

read article
W184

The Auteurs Daily: Issues

By David Hudson on September 5, 2009

  "The restoration of this hefty, propulsive, and preposterous 1928 film comes with an irresistible tag of relevance. The story

read article
W184

pages from a cold island: (NO) FEAR OF FLYING

By Neil Young on June 17, 2009

  You may be wary of fallen starsThey're always poking around in the darkThe aerial view of a dying manScreaming out "Can you help me

read article
W184

Cannes 2009: Agent Provocateur ("Antichrist," von Trier)

By Daniel Kasman on May 18, 2009

Hip-hip-hurray for Lars von Trier’s Antichrist, a ballsy B-movie riff off Bergman and Tarkovsky by way of Evil Dead that treads over the whole

read article

Joshua Chaplinsky's Fantastic Fest Diary: ANTICHRIST

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
[Our thanks to Joshua Chaplinsky for the following.]CHAOS REIGNS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS LARS VON TRIER’S ANTICHRIST (contains spoilers) Lars Von Trier does not strike me as the type of man who takes well to
read on Twitchfilm.com

TIFF09: VOMIT AT RYERSON ANTICHRIST SCREENING!!

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist is a hot ticket at this year’s TIFF.  It’s been pretty well covered by the Twitch team so I don’t have much more to say except that at tonight’s Ryerson screening a dude a few
read on Twitchfilm.com

Blu-Ray Review: ANTICHRIST

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
A cloud of sensationalism and hyperbole has followed Antichrist around ever since it screened at Cannes in 2009. This is unfortunate as Antichrist is a complicated work that can’t be reduced to a goofy
read on Twitchfilm.com

Vancouver 09: ANTICHRIST Review

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
[Our thanks to Teresa Nieman for the following review.]So much has already been written about Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist, here on Twitch and otherwise, and responses have been extremely divided. That’s
read on Twitchfilm.com

TIFF 09: ANTICHRIST Review

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
Brace yourselves for a firestorm, people, the globe’s leading provocateur is back on form and slapping his latest film with a title sure to rile elements of the religious right is merely the first and
read on Twitchfilm.com

Antichrist review

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
A new Lars Vor Trier film means a guaranteed buzz. This time around he outdid himself though. He succeeded to shock Cannes and even managed to score some actual puke reactions at TIFF. Perfect marketing
read on Twitchfilm.com

TIFF 09: ANTICHRIST Review

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
Danish provocatuer Lars Von Trier makes his long awaited return to the traditional horror film with the delightful head-scratcher Antichrist. Obliterating all expectations for fans of the seminal TV series
read on Twitchfilm.com

ANTICHRIST Review

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
So now that much of the hysteria, both positive and negative, has died down somewhat and The Daily Mail has weighed in with some incoherent waffle that can’t see the woods from the trees, it’s time for
read on Twitchfilm.com

Antichrist review

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
A new Lars Vor Trier film means a guaranteed buzz. This time around he outdid himself though. He succeeded to shock Cannes and even managed to score some actual puke reactions at TIFF. Perfect marketing
read on Twitchfilm.net

Joshua Chaplinsky's Fantastic Fest Diary: ANTICHRIST

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
[Our thanks to Joshua Chaplinsky for the following.]CHAOS REIGNS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS LARS VON TRIER’S ANTICHRIST (contains spoilers) Lars Von Trier does not strike me as the type of man who takes well to
read on Twitchfilm.net

Vancouver 09: ANTICHRIST Review

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
[Our thanks to Teresa Nieman for the following review.]So much has already been written about Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist, here on Twitch and otherwise, and responses have been extremely divided. That’s
read on Twitchfilm.net

TIFF 09: ANTICHRIST Review

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
Brace yourselves for a firestorm, people, the globe’s leading provocateur is back on form and slapping his latest film with a title sure to rile elements of the religious right is merely the first and
read on Twitchfilm.net

ANTICHRIST Review

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
So now that much of the hysteria, both positive and negative, has died down somewhat and The Daily Mail has weighed in with some incoherent waffle that can’t see the woods from the trees, it’s time for
read on Twitchfilm.net

TIFF 09: ANTICHRIST Review

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
Danish provocatuer Lars Von Trier makes his long awaited return to the traditional horror film with the delightful head-scratcher Antichrist. Obliterating all expectations for fans of the seminal TV series
read on Twitchfilm.net

TIFF09: VOMIT AT RYERSON ANTICHRIST SCREENING!!

By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist is a hot ticket at this year’s TIFF.  It’s been pretty well covered by the Twitch team so I don’t have much more to say except that at tonight’s Ryerson screening a dude a few
read on Twitchfilm.net

Lists

Displaying 5 of 709 lists.

Reviews

Displaying 4 of 36

Antichrist: A Discussion

By Dr. Strange​love on February 10, 2011

Antichrist : A Discussion

One of the most provocative films of the last decade, Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist seems to defy numerous genre obstacles and becomes a generous addition to his canon…  read review

Frankenstein's Monster

By richmon​dhill on December 30, 2010

Something of a Frankenstein’s Monster – both thematically and stylistically – with the all too viscerally raw treatment of its subject matter patched with a generally over-stylised visual surface with…  read review

MY FIRST VON TRIER!

By Beneezy on October 19, 2010

This is my first Von Trier experience and also the coldest film I’ve seen in years. I felt the uncomfortable lack of warmth throughout the film. This is a full-throtte depressng film. It was mostly…  read review

La muerte y la locura son elegantes

By Don't Get Nasty Brother on September 6, 2010

Fuera de toda polémica, la nueva película de Lars Von Trier es una de las mas interesantes del año pasado. Interesante por lo curioso de su realización, su puesta en escena y los temas que maneja…  read review

Forum

Displaying 8 of 14 discussion topics.

ANTICHRIST: A BREIF ANALYSIS

36 posts by 19 people 2 months ago

A Lot Like Images by Robert Altman

3 posts by 2 people 4 months ago

ANTICHRIST (Lars von Trier, 2009)

87 posts by 22 people 10 months ago

Lars Von Trier's 'Antichrist'

58 posts by 40 people 11 months ago

the antichrist criterion dvd cover is here

32 posts by 24 people over 1 year ago

Von Trier- An idiot or an a-hole

18 posts by 12 people over 1 year ago