Gaspar Noé

Gaspar Noé (; ; born 27 December 1963) is an Argentine filmmaker, who lives and worked primarily in France. He is one of the primary exponents of New French Extremity, with his most notable works including the feature films '' I Stand Alone'' (1998), '' Irréversible'' (2002), '' Enter the Void'' (2009), ''Love'' (2015), '' Climax'' (2018), '' Lux Æterna'' (2019), and '' Vortex'' (2021).

Early life and education

Gasper Noé was born on 27 December 1963 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Luis Felipe Noé, a prominent Argentine artist, writer, and intellectual of Italian descent, and Nora Murphy, a social worker of Irish descent. He has a sister named Paula. Noé moved to New York City with his parents, and resided on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. Noé returned to Argentina at the age of 5 and emigrated to France in 1976 to escape the military dictatorship occurring in Argentina at the time. Noé obtained Italian citizenship from lineage, and is a dual-citizen of Argentina and Italy, but does not consider himself Italian.

Noé initially wanted to become a cartoonist, however became interested in filmmaking after his father gifted him a Super 8 camera that he bought in a Brazilian airport. Noé shot a reel with his best friend Juan Diego Solanas jumping from the Pont Neuf. He graudated from the École nationale supérieure Louis-Lumière in Paris. Following his graduation in 1982, he worked as an assistant director on Fernando Solanas's '' Tangos, the Exile of Gardel'' (1986) and '' Sur'' (1988). Noé's first short film '' Carne'' was released in 1991.

Artistry

His work has been strongly associated with a collection of films often described as new extreme films. Highlighting their challenging sexual and violent bodily imagery, Tim Palmer has described them as part of a ''cinéma du corps'' (cinema of the body), and a cinema of 'brutal intimacy' because of its attenuated use of narrative, generally assaulting and often illegible cinematography, confrontational subject material, a treatment of sexual behavior as violent rather than mutually intimate, and a pervasive sense of social nihilism or despair.

Noé often directly addresses the audience in confrontational ways, most notably in ''I Stand Alone'', when an intertitle warns the audience that they have 30 seconds to leave the cinema before the final violent climax. In a different way, this can be seen in ''Irreversible'', in which the 10-minute long single-take rape sequence has frequently been read as an assault on viewers, as well as a depiction of an assault on the female character.

Collaborations

Gaspar Noé and Lucile Hadžihalilović have repeatedly collaborated with each other on film projects. In the early 1990s, Noé co-founded the production company ''Les Cinémas de la Zone'' with Hadžihalilović. Noé operated the camera and was the cinematographer for two short films directed by Hadžihalilović: ''La Bouche de Jean-Pierre'' (1996) and ''Good Boys Use Condoms'' (1998). Similarly, Hadžihalilović produced and edited ''Carne'' (1991), edited ''Seul contre tous'' (1998) and was credited as a writer on ''Enter the Void'' (2009). The creative collaboration is made clear in the comparable stylistic choices across these early films, most clearly the credit sequences and the marketing designs. In 2025, Noé will appear in Hadžihalilović's fourth feature film, '' The Ice Tower''.

Three of his films feature the character of a nameless butcher played by Philippe Nahon: '' Carne'', '' I Stand Alone'' and, in a cameo, '' Irréversible''.

All of Noé's feature films are shot by cinematographer Benoît Debie.

The music for '' Irréversible'' was composed by Thomas Bangalter. The latter also sent Gaspar Noé an unreleased song he made circa 1995 for ''Climax.'' The song was named ''Sangria'' in reference to the movie.

In collaboration with Saint Laurent, he directed films ''Lux Æterna'' and ''Saint Laurent - Summer of ‘21.''

Style and influences

Noé stated in the September 2012 edition of '' Sight & Sound'' magazine that seeing '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' at the age of seven changed his life, an experience without which he would never have become a director. A poster for the film features notably in a scene towards the end of ''Irreversible''. He also credits his mother for taking him to see other transgressive films as a child, including one by Fassbinder, and cites the skeleton fight scene from ''Jason and the Argonauts'' as a core memory from his youth.

Many of his movies feature all kind of film posters, which reflects his collection and passion for them. He's believed to be the owner of one of the three known copies of the rarest poster for ''M'' (1931 film). Since '' Irréversible'', he's kept working with French film poster designer Laurent Lufroy for all his feature films: Lufroy even appears in ''Love'' (as a policeman), ''Climax'' (as a dog-handler) and ''Lux Æterna'' (using a torch).

Additional influences cited by Noé include the French photographer Pierre Molinier, the Japanese director Koji Wakamatsu (particularly the film '' The Embryo Hunts in Secret'')'','' Spanish-Mexican filmmaker Luis Buñuel (particularly the films '' Un Chien Andalou'' and '' Los Olvidados''), David Lynch's '' Eraserhead'', Le Professeur Choron (the founder of '' Hara Kiri magazine''), and Argentinian painter Jorge De La Vega (who is also Noé's godfather).

Many specific scenes and filmmaking decision from Noé's work were inspired by films. The warning in '' I Stand Alone'' was influenced by the film '' Homicidal'' (1961). '' Irreversible'' was inspired by the film '' Betrayal'' (1983), for its reverse chronology, as well as the films '' In the Realm of the Senses'' (1976), ''I Am Cuba'' (1964), '' A Clockwork Orange'' (1971), '' Straw Dogs'' (1971), ''Deliverance'' (1972), and '' Death Wish'' (1974). The POV camera in '' Enter the Void'' was inspired by '' Lady in the Lake'' (1947). Additionally, the use of 3D in ''Love'' was inspired by ''Gravity''.

Noé also cites the 1983 Austrian serial killer film, ''Angst'', by Gerald Kargl and Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' as additional influences. He has said De Niro's performance in '' Raging Bull'' was his "favorite male performance ever."

One of Noé's favorite books is ''An Experiment with Time'' by J. W. Dunne.

Personal life

He is married to his business partner and longtime collaborator, the filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović. They have no children.

When questioned about his sexuality or thoughts on homosexuality, he has said "I'm not homophobic. I'm not gay, either. I'm not even bisexual, but I've come close to gay situations in my life." He has described himself as "testosterophobic," saying "the male testosterone can be very boring and annoying and repetitive. So mostly in my movies, the girls have the cool parts and the men have the stupid parts." When asked about abortion, a theme in several of his films, he said, "I'm not pro-life, I'm not pro-choice, I'm not pro-death, I'm not anti-choice. In my personal life, I thought it was much easier to be careful."

In 2024, during an interview from his masterclass session in Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt, he said that he want to do a different film, "a film with kids, for children".

In June 2025, Noé will serve on the jury panel of the third Runway AI Film Festival.

Health and drug use

Throughout his career, Noé has spoken frequently about his experiences with drugs, and his use of substances like ecstasy, datura, LSD, marijuana , DMT, ayahuasca, morphine, amphetamine, poppers and cocaine. In early 2020, Noé suffered a near fatal brain hemorrhage and was advised by his physician not to use hard drugs. He is practicing sobriety, however wishes to return to drug use at some point.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

* ''Tintarella di luna'' (1984)
* ''Pulpe amère'' (1987)
* '' Carne'' (1991)
* ''Une expérience d'hypnose télévisuelle'' (1995)
* '' Sodomites'' (1998)
* ''Intoxication'' (1998)
* Run Rabbit Run! (2004)
* ''Eva'' (2005)
* ''We Fuck Alone'' (2006) segment of '' Destricted''
* ''SIDA'' (2008) segment of '' 8''
* ''Ritual'' (2011) segment of '' 7 Days in Havana''
* ''Shoot'' (2014) segment of ''Short Plays''
* ''The Art of Filmmaking'' (2019)
* ''Saint Laurent - Summer of '21'' (2020)

Music videos

* Animal Collective - "Applesauce"
*Arielle – "Je Suis si Mince"
*Bone Fiction – "Insanely Cheerful"
* Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – " We No Who U R"
*Placebo – " Protège-Moi"
* SebastiAn – "Love in Motion"
*SebastiAn – "Thirst"
*Thomas Bangalter – "Outrage" and "Stress" (both from the ''Irréversible'' soundtrack)
* Travis Scott – " Modern Jam" (Segment of '' Circus Maximus'')

Other production credits

Acting roles

Photography

Besides being a filmmaker, he is an occasional photographer. In 2013, Noé shot the cover art for American singer-songwriter Sky Ferreira's debut album '' Night Time, My Time''. Other celebrities, such as Agnès b., Todd Solondz or Stacy Martin were shot by Gaspar Noé, as well as several models for erotic magazines.

Reception

Many of Noé's films were polarizing or controversial with viewers due to their inclusion of graphic scenes of violence and sexual violence. ''I Stand Alone, Irreversible, Enter the Void'', ''We Fuck Alone,'' ''Love'' and ''Climax'' were all considered controversial for their challenging sexual and violent imagery.

''Irreversible''

''Irreversible'' was hugely divisive amongst critics with journals such as ''Sight and Sound'' (UK) and ''Positif'' (France) allowing critics to openly voice their disagreements about the film. It caused substantial outrage in many countries for its central scene of rape, filmed in a single take and lasting nearly ten minutes in total, with some critics comparing it to pornography because of its length and the use of a static camera, as well as considering the film as a whole to be deeply homophobic for its hellish portrayal of a gay S&M club. On the other hand, it was also frequently praised for its brutal portrayal of the horrors of rape, and its implicit challenge to viewers of the scene. Eugenie Brinkema, for instance, describes ''Irreversible'' as "ethically, generically, subjectively" disruptive: "the rape ..is real, it is private, it is contained – it is insufferably present. ..it interrogates vehicles of receptivity and the power and violence done to bodies by bodies".

Awards and nominations

References

Bibliography

* Frey, Mattias. (2016). ''Extreme Cinema: The Transgressive Rhetoric of Today’s Art Film Culture''. Rutgers University Press.
* Horeck, Tanya, & Kendall, Tina. (Eds.). (2011). ''The New Extremism in Cinema: From France to Europe''. Edinburgh University Press.
* Palmer, Tim. (2011). ''Brutal intimacy: Analyzing Contemporary French cinema''. Wesleyan University Press.
* Palmer, Tim. (2015). ''Irreversible''. Palgrave Macmillan.
* Russell, Dominique. (Ed.). (2010). ''Rape in Art Cinema''. Continuum.

External links

*

Le Temps Détruit Tout : Unofficial & International website about Gaspar Noé

Interview with Gaspar Noé about 'Enter the Void' Part 1 (Spanish)

Interview with Gaspar Noé about 'Enter the Void' Part 2 (Spanish)

2014 ''Bomb Magazine'' discussion between Matthew Barney & Gaspar Noé

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noe, Gaspar
1963 births
Living people
Argentine people of Italian descent
Argentine atheists
Argentine cinematographers
Argentine emigrants to Italy
Argentine expatriates in France
Argentine expatriates in Italy
Argentine expatriates in Switzerland
Argentine expatriates in the United States
Argentine film directors
Argentine film editors
Argentine film producers
Argentine screenwriters
Academic staff of European Graduate School
Argentine male screenwriters
Psychedelic drug advocates
Writers from Buenos Aires
Postmodernist filmmakers
École nationale supérieure Louis-Lumière alumni