Vortex (2021) - Gaspar Noé

​Gasper Noe's evocation on mortality is perhaps prescriptive yet its formal designs are distinct and effective at elucidating the slow, methodical deterioration of the mind and body that is completely out of our control. It's accurate to say that Vortex is not quite like anything Noe has made before, largely due to his more tempered tonality and simple narrative schematics that are rooted more in quiet observation than flamboyant dramatics but with that in mind, Vortex in many ways feels like a natural progression for the filmmaker too. The existential questions of experience and living have been a part of his work for a while, with the distinction here being the film is far more rooted in the acceptance of mortality and the impermanence of life due to mental and/or physical death. While some of his earlier work could be considered nihilistic when it comes to this exploration, Vortex feels far more contemplative about its value despite the filmmaker's natural proclivities as a provocateur. Control in many ways is simply a fabrication we create about our lives to feel a sense of security and/or safety, and Vortex through its simple construction enunciates the fragility of our relationships due to our material existence in a way that despite its sadness remains celebratory more than nihilistic about the beauty of life - at least for Noe. The end is an inevitability, the wonders of life and our shared experience while living when stood up against the great darkness that comes for us all is a dream.