Even considering his knack for exposing the truly terrifying
parts of the human psyche, Gaspar Noé’s latest effort starts off deceptively normal. A group of hip-hop dancers
are rehearsing for an international tour, with all kinds of glorious 90’s
hip-house blaring in the background, going through their paces in a dizzying
display of physicality. Noé’s long-time collaborator Benoît Debie captures the
initial dance sequence brilliantly, balancing cinematic framing with theatrical
space to create an engine of raw kinetic energy.
From there, things wind down with the after-party, with the
dancers being catty about each other like this escaped a kitschy reality show
set, and they’re all enjoying themselves… until they discover that someone
spiked their sangria with LSD.
