Irreversible

Gaspar Noé's 2002 film tells its events in reverse. It opens with the scene that comes last and moves backwards. That structure announces the outcome at the start. The film shows its violence without cutting away; the narrative makes the irreversibility of time its real subject and keeps the camera turning. Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel lead. Many viewers walked out when it screened at Cannes. At its centre is a rape scene of about ten minutes, shot without a cut. Who it's for: those who deliberately seek out extreme, contested cinema. Who it's not for: almost everyone; the film shows sexual violence at unbearable length and that scene has been widely found traumatising.