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The huge hangars are nearly empty. The machines are all gone, just some tools are left and a few paint tins and buckets. You can hear your steps resound. This place must have been left years ago and everything is just like it was. Of course it isn’t entirely unchanged. Some homeless have used the old office as a bedroom. Books and paper folders are thrown all over the floor. The climatic conditions have left their traces in form of ramshackle doors and moist walls. The toilet door has fallen out. It’s dark inside. There are only men’s facilities. Right next to it are the changing rooms. Surprisingly there is quite some stuff in it. Old work clothing, some shoes, papers, helmets. Everything smells weird. On the wall are some instructions of how to join the trades union. Suddenly the wind blows, a door closes. The workers had a kind of medical centre. A few needles have been dropped on the floor. In the main hangar the working units are still visible due to some marks and discoloured spots on ground and walls. Every worker apparently hung up, whatever he would find animating to work, which is now exposed due to the missing protective panels and cupboards.

The factory must have been a busy place. Only the building itself has remained, giving just a few hints of its former inhabitants. Enough though, to imagine, what it must have been like. Junk dealers, vagabonds, squatters or even paint-ball players have become the new population. And the walls are covered by graffiti pieces, which make advantage of the bricks, fissures and posters. All these leftovers and new contributions create a texture with quite an inspiring, visual richness. It’s like going to a museum and make up the captions by yourself.

© www.antichristthemovie.com

When i heard of Lars von Trier’s new film, I couldn’t wait to see it. Before it even came to the cinemas, a whole lot of opinions have been published. The reactions basically ranged from shock over horror to indignation. They were talking about pornography, about misogyny, claiming censorship. Other voices stated, that he just wanted to be provocative, to draw attention to himself, that he just did a “horror film”.

As usually I tried to ignore all this classification attempts and went to see the film on my birthday. It was a special day, so I really wanted to enjoy it. And I did. I was overwhelmed by the cinematographic quality, the way he used black and white, the slow motion, the amazing actors. I just stuck in my seat, unable to move. Just a few incoherent moments, like the speaking animals, interrupted my paralysis. During most of the film I kept thinking, that it doesn’t seem to be that shocking. But then towards the end, I actually wasn’t able to watch it anymore. My hands went automatically in front of my eyes. Remarkably I couldn’t turn my eyes of it, nor close them, so I still could see this little bit between my fingers. And I certainly didn’t stand up and leave like other spectators did. The film nailed me down.

Once outside the cinema, when everybody started to exchange opinions, I couldn’t really say anything, as I was still wrapped in this special atmosphere. But now, two months after, I can (which certainly wouldn’t be very helpful, if I would have had to write a review the following day). Like in his previous work Von Trier presented an apparently very individual vision. There is no need to agree, to like the film. He just admits the audience to his world. I still can remember the exact feelings, this film provoked in me. It touched me both positively and negatively. I stopped thinking, just followed the film and let me force into my seat. It was a total experience. That is, why I could enjoy it.