Customer Reviews

I Stand Alone

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

When I recently viewed Gaspar Noe's film "Irreversible," I noticed with interest a scene at the beginning of the movie where an elderly man waxes philosophic about the various problems in his life to another poor soul while both men sit in a filthy, cramped room. I chuckled inwardly about Noe's in joke since anyone who has seen "I Stand Alone" recognizes the elderly gent with a bad attitude as none other than the suicidal butcher, the main character in this gripping film about the psychological free fall of a man with nothing left to lose in life. If I had to compare "Irreversible" with "I Stand Alone," I would definitely pick "Irreversible" as the better of the two in nearly every aspect of filmmaking, but "I Stand Alone" is a memorable experience nonetheless. If you thought watching Monica Bellucci suffer indignity after indignity was bad, you should watch the last twenty minutes of "I Stand Alone" for a whole knew outlook on what constitutes "disturbing." Gaspar Noe is quickly turning into my favorite "foreign" film director. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

The plot of "I Stand Alone" is frighteningly simple. The main character is an unemployed butcher, middle aged, whose life is one long series of disappointments. We learn he is the son of a French communist executed by the Nazis who eventually married, had a child, and lost his business after he killed a man he mistakenly assumed had brutalized his daughter. The incident sent his young child over the edge mentally, requiring her to check in for a lengthy stay at the local mental motel. The butcher, now on the ropes emotionally and recently released from prison, leaves his child behind to take up with an obnoxious woman and her overbearing mother because of a vague promise made by said woman to set our hero up in the meat business again. Sadly, this woman becomes pregnant and begins to berate the butcher about his taciturn nature, using the excuse of being with child to get what she wants from the relationship. The constant pressures of unemployment and the nagging from his woman causes the butcher to snap; he beats the pregnant woman viciously, and then flees when he worries that he has killed his unborn child and could again end up in prison for his actions.

Heading back to Paris and points north, the butcher wanders through the blasted landscapes of a France never seen in travel brochures. As he roams around with a diminishing supply of money and no job prospects, meeting old friends that refuse to help him and sleeping in pay by the day rat holes, the butcher engages the audience through a largely internal monologue that wallows in misogyny, racism, nihilism, and general misanthropy. This guy hates everyone and everything; he feels that the whole world is out to dump on him and seeks to pay back all of his enemies in the most vicious of ways. When he procures a gun with a few bullets in it, he begins formulating elaborate plans for bloody revenge. He'll kill the smug jerk that refused to give him a job, the man at the bar who gave him some grief over the tab, and anyone else that gets in his way. The butcher finally decides to pay a visit to his daughter since he hasn't seen her in ages, and it is during this visit that "I Stand Alone" enters its final, most horrific stage. Nothing will prepare you for the terrible final moments of Noe's movie. It's deeply disturbing, sick, morally reprehensible, and just plain nasty. Come to think of it, the whole movie is an exercise in depravity virtually certain to give most mainstream viewers conniption fits.

The best elements of "I Stand Alone" have little to do with the lengthy dialogue of the mad butcher or his rambling journeys through Paris. After awhile you get used to the run down buildings, the litter clogged streets, and the redundant blatherings of the butcher. You probably won't feel too much pity for the guy after awhile anyway, seeing as how he's such a sick, hateful soul full of loathing for his fellow man (and women, especially women). What does strike a chord is how Noe portrays this unpleasant chap. Noe rubs your nose in this guy's misery to such an extent that you shudder to think there are people like the butcher around us every day, adrift in their frustrated lives and ready to explode at any minute. In an effort to bring home the gut wrenching stresses in the butcher's existence, the director employs an unusual but very effective extreme focus camera technique--accompanied by a dramatic thudding sound--at certain important points throughout the film. There's even a flashing sign towards the end warning the viewer the movie is about to take an extreme turn just in case you wish to switch the whole thing off. Brilliant!

A few caveats are necessary with "I Stand Alone." The conclusion of the film, with its graphic violence and whirlwind dialogue, will upset viewers unaccustomed to such things. Moreover, at one point in the movie the butcher sits in an adult movie theater to be alone with his frustration. That's not too bad in and of itself since we already know the thought processes of the butcher, but we get an eyeful of the definitely XXX rated movie playing on the screen. If pornography really bothers you, take a pass on "I Stand Alone." I, however, thought Noe's a film a brilliant piece of cinema exploring the dark recesses of a man on the verge of a suicidal breakdown. If that sounds appealing to you, certainly give this one a glance. Then watch "Irreversible."

You either have the guts to watch Noé's films or you don't. People who don't usually leave the cinema after 10 minutes and feel attacked for no reason. People who do are usually stunned. Nothing like this has ever been done.

All of Noé's films contain no more than 2 violent scenes but the rest of it is extremely oppressing (he and his wife use to argue about not falling into Truffaut clichés) - and if the point is to shock the public, I've never seen it done in such an inteligent and pointful way. It has been said that his films are immoral and push people to immoral thoughts - I don't think so. The situations are often extreme but their dark side is close to that of Peckinpah's films: it is never gratuitous.

Carne and I stand alone have both won the first prize at Cannes Semaine de la critique festival. And, by the way, there exists another dvd edition of I stand alone which contains Carne, various trailers, comments, critics and several transcriptions of the butcher's thoughts.

If you have liked this, don't miss Noé's new film called Irreversible, presented this year (2002) at Cannes.

In a way, the fact that I was very offended by this film is a testament to its power. On the other, this is the first time I've found it hard to let the filmmaker off the hook on moral grounds.

The extreme, extreme violence of this film is truly nauseating. And I say this as one who's studied cinematic violence of all sorts -- from Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer to The Re-Animator, from The Killer to Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom, from Robocop to Maniac. But I dare say none of them evoked the incredibly negative response that I Stand Alone did. The body count is low, but the acts of violence are so extended, and so repulsive in their immorality, that they hit you like sledgehammer blows. This is the kind of film that would immediately get banned as a video nasty in the UK, and possibly get its director mobbed.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is the closest comparison I can draw. Man Bites Dog isn't nearly as bleak; Taxi Driver isn't as brutal or cold-blooded; and Maniac doesn't have one per cent of the brains. What I feel is a feature-length ode to hatred, to blind, inarticulate hatred for all things alive and dead, and ultimately to self. At the same time that I marvel at its ability to strike body blows and portray a reality (psychological and physical) this frightening, I can't say I really like this film. At times, the film lingers so long on the suffering of its characters and assimilates the viewpoint of its reprehensible protagonist so thoroughly that it becomes hard whether it's the character that's violent and detestable, or the film that so closely resembles him.

If you like challenging cinema, it's definitely worth a look. But if you've ever cried or become sick because of a movie, think twice before you delve into this one.

the DVD is indeed very poor, no trailers, no short films from the director are available. on the other hand, the transfer is exellent!... "SEUL CONTRE TOUS",(i stand alone) was directed by GASPAR NOÉ... the story takes place in france in 1980. it is the story of a jobless butcher struggling to survive in the bowels of his nation. the butcher (played by french actor philippe nahon) only wants one thing:"to escape the dark tunnel of his existence". unfortunatly for him; his life is gonna hit the bottom,plagued by misfortune,betrayal,sadness..etc.. 70% of the film takes place inside his mind,the voice over is sometimes even more frightening than anything else. needless to say,do not watch this movie if you have suicide tendencies. the cinematography is really exellent.(the film was shot with a super 16mm anamorphic camera), the acting is impressive, it sometimes feels as if you're watching a documentary. the film contains pornography,disturbing violence... the ending is also extreme.., I wont spoil the rest, but "I STAND ALONE" is a must!...a masterpiece. ps:the short film entitled:"CARNE" (also directed by gaspar in 1991) is the first part of "i stand alone" it is 45mins long and is equally good!.."carne also marked gaspar noe's debut in the cinema industry. -philippe nahon can also be seen in "le pacte des loups" aka BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLVES..."la haine" aka THE HATE...and "les rivieres pourpres" aka THE CRIMSON RIVERS.

memorable lines from the butcher: -"your mother. you love her as long as she gives you milk. & your father when he lends you money. but when her breats are all dried up. or when your father's pockets are empty. the best thing to do is lock them up. and let them die before they cost you too much. that's how it goes. the law of life.children pretend to be nice only when there's an inheritance."...

By rating this DVD a three out of five, I do not mean to indicate that my opinion of the film is negative in any way. "I Stand Alone" is a tremendously bleak, yet excellent portrait of Gaspar Noe's "butcher" character, a man filled with believable (because it is fairly mundane) inner torment that drives him to increasing levels of rage, violence, and socially unacceptable behavior. The film can draw parallels to "troubled lead character" movies such as "Taxi Driver," "In a Glass Cage," and "A Clockwork Orange," but "I Stand Alone" revels in realistic situations that feel as if they would be easy to fall into. Far better than "Man Bites Dog," and so far beyond anything involving Quentin Tarantino, this film is grim, but somehow not humorless, as Noe "lightens" the tone with jarring edits, sound blasts, and a very funny warning when things are about to reach a climax. The loss of one (or maybe even two) star(s) is due to the decision to leave Noe's 1991 short film "Carne" (the precursor to this film) off of the DVD. Overall, Strand Releasing did a poor job with this package, offering no "extras" whatsoever. Fans of writer Michel Houellebecq should look into this film as it portrays a more "working class" rendition of that author's inhuman viewpoint.

Brutal.Unforgiving.Raw. You need mental equipment to sit through this gripping portrayal of a man with nothing left to lose. He's got his clothes, a stolen pistol with only 3 bullets and a hit list that's growing by the hour. This guy is an animal, and what's wrong with his face, anyway? His eyes bulge out; he refuses to smile. His face is almost purple with hate. He haunts old friends in France asking for money and yet they have none. He's starving. He has death fantasies for everyone. The director and the narrator even warn you to leave the room if you're not ready for what's coming down the pipe (and I should have left), but it's lovely at the end. Just hang in there. This movie is a must for folks who need a "pick me up". Incredible acting. Drama at its finest and darkest. Wonderful writing. You can tell where comic artists like Frank Miller and Tim Bradstreet find some of their characters. Somebody send me a T shirt with the main character glaring with his bug eyes. Warning to some viewers: very brutal wife abuse scene. Again, you need mental equipment to sit through this--but hang in there (and remember they're only acting!) Take care, everybody!

Gasper Noe (Irreversible) flick akin to a savage "Taxi Driver".
This flick is haunting, but I cant put my finger on why that is.
Oh wait yes I can!!!
A fetal stomach beating,
the constant split second movement of the camera, accompanied by sharp dissonance,
racism, misogyny, misanthropy
child molestation,
and of course a positively heartless(?) murder scene.
You can actually feel the main-characters insanity,
(ie: his inner monologue becomes rapid & incoherent)
as the movie progresses toward it's disturbing, violent conclusion,
which the director is courteous enough to give the viewer a 30 second warning to leave the room before the insanity ensues.
(NOTE: The widely offensive, unwarranted ending comes straight out of left-field, you won't expect it.)

The plot is simple enough,
A man on the fringes on a psychotic melt-down, flips out one day when he can't find a job and can't handle the pressures of everyday life.
And the world will pay. (and by the world I mean the viewer)

MORAL OF THE STORY:
When you're psychotic, you stand alone.

One of the darkest descents into hopleless, bleak, despair I have ever seen but with a fight! The main character is completely corrupt as a human. Well, maybe not completely. It's hard to describe without spoiling. He is righteous for the wrong reasons. How about that? There are two scenes in this flick that I think would upset 85% of the movie going population. Possibly more. The other 15% of us have some explaining to do. I appreciated this for the look inside a mind rapidly turning on itself and the world it sees. Our boy goes insane with gumption! If you enjoy this because you're fascinated while watching the overbearing progression of mental illness as it consumes a man, well, I don't know if that even saves you but it's where I fit. If you enjoy it for some other reason, see a priest or think about quitting your substance of choice for the moment. This film, by far, is not for the faint of heart.

This film is not for everyone. It is for adults who are willing to look closely at the uglier side of human nature. Noe runs a warning with about 20 minutes to go, giving you a chance to leave the theater in anticipation of an upcoming display of horrific violence. Of course, this is somewhat of a sick joke because up to that point, you will have been subjected to over an hour of being captive to and pummelled by the rambling disconnected thoughts and acts of a misanthropic angry increasingly desperate human being hitting bottom.

Just to address a thread which seem to run through the reviews (I suppose there might be thematic spoilers here depending on your standards though I will speak generally): yes, there are a few brief moments of very explicit physical violence in this film. The film is not, however, meant for those who look forward to seeing acts of violence as some sort of thrill (and I don't really mean that to sound as judgmental as it might come across as I can be one of those people on any given day). The main acts of violence here, directed against women, are meant to display the depths to which the butcher has been reduced by his feelings of helplessness as he has been unempowered by society: no job, no refuge of home, no love through companionship, no real purpose other than surviving, other than attempting to validate his existence on the planet somehow; so he lashes out at the targets he can, the ones who are defenseless and easy. Some people will have a hard time stomaching these scenes and will be revolted, but properly so: they are meant to horrify and disgust you. If you cannot handle things like this, just don't watch this film; the scenes are essential to it and you can't just skip them and really have seen this movie. The trick here is that Noe lets us in on the running interior dialogue of this man unraveling and dares us to feel superior, to feel like we are not capable of supreme ugliness if luck were to go against us. The butcher's rage against society is marred by pettiness, arrogance, self-pity, and by an inability to gather up the strength to strike out at the ones who have really reduced him to what he is; an inability to fix a world that is so vastly beyond the scope and control of any single individual. So he must displace: he rambles about how France has fallen, targets minorities in his mind, has explosions of anger over the smallest and most inconsequential of things, his mind jumping from coherent thoughts to crazy ones, and mixing real grievances with completely false ones. He fantasizes about paying back those who really caused him injustices; and yet, those plans for vengeance are continually falling apart, under the futility of ever really being able to lash out at so many unreachable targets. Noe doesn't give you the cathartic moment that many such "man in despair" films give you; there is no real payback here to give you a surrogate moment of relief, that justice can be achieved. The butcher only dreams of having that kind of satisfaction in an effort to keep himself going. Noe instead throws you a completely different curveball in the ending, which is simultaneously moving, completely appalling, pitiful, and strangely in a way even rather uplifting, as horrible as the conclusion is. When the butcher finally relents close to the end and breaks down and cries, turning his anger against himself as a failure, it is heartwrenching, a great performance by Nahon. And the butcher's final thoughts, as wrongheaded as they will (I certainly hope!) strike you, are meant to make you think hard about how a human being is to find emotional meaning once the rules of civilized life have become irrelevant because you have no hope of success, no chance to be a winner as society has rigged things.

A lot of people have complained about this film and Irreversible, that Noe is something of a sensationalist charlatan. Both films share a fondness for aggressively attention-drawing formal gimmicks and both films do hit the audience quite hard with the details of the grotesqueries they depict. I support Noe's work in these films because I think we've become so jaded that in order to get us to really feel ill at ease, to question, to react, some extreme techniques are warranted. A lot of people have grown quite comfortable in this world denying the horrors that go on around us, keeping them marginalized in boxes outside our minds, and being provoked like this has its purposes and reasons. And a lot of people have desensitized themselves to everpresent death and to violence, justifying their part in civil society by notions of punishment, vengeance and deserving fate. You could certainly just decide that you don't need to be so provoked, that you are quite self-aware of your limits and how sensible you would be under moments of crisis and anger, that you grasp how and where violence in society is acceptable and where it is not. If so, I guess you don't need to be seeing movies like this.

The movie about the butcher who has lost it all is an impressive venture into an eloquent narrative about despair, and most of all, loneliness. In a way, the topic can be considered immature, a little too much of the teenage in anguish sort of dialogue, but it is just so well conceived in regards to Noé's particular cinematic vision that it becomes a powerful tale of one man's abandonment to his pathologies and to the inevitable decay of society.
There is something about Gaspar Noé's films -perhaps a certain quality of grotesquery and exaggerated reality, or his fixation with certain pieces of classical music- that somehow manages to inflict pain into the viewer. When you see the color in the film, that sort of yellowish or reddish accent, that sickly overtone in embellished color, you are being set up visually for the entrapment of narrative, plot and ideas. Then add to that, a story of an undeniable pathetic element, and you are in for an experience, no matter what you end up thinking of the film.
If you have already seen his following film, `Irreversible', you might know what to expect from Noé. When I first got a hold of this film, I had a very ambiguous feeling, one that oscillated from unease to curiosity, and this because of having watched Irreversible. The film does deliver a fair amount of extremely well crafted shock value, just to jolt your senses, in way, to create a final paroxysm for the tension that the butcher's monologue of despair has been creating through out the film. The end is hard to watch but it doesn't come off as unnecessary violence. It is more of a whirlwind of the extreme despair of the butcher. Irreversible ends up as more of a shocker because the rape scene is just so long and perverse.
But more than anything, shocks aside, the story presents us with a very interesting look of how a man can let himself go and just give in to his altered state of mind. This is exemplified beautifully in the relation between the butcher and his daughter. As with irreversible, Noé works here with a fairly simple story, and a very simple axiom. In this case, for example, it is an examination of morality and man as a measure for it. When a man is distraught is all society to blame, or is it time for this man to abandon society by any means?
If you are looking for a disturbing movie with eloquent dialogue, in this case a monologue, and that is a well made film, this is one of them. This film may be criticized more than other disturbing films since it is so well made and this causes it to be more intrusive; it has the elements of a reality somewhat possible in the lives of everyone, as was irreversible. It doesn't create the fear that irreversible creates, or the feeling of lost safety; it creates something different, yet on the same level as both the fear and insecurity in irreversible. It is of course to be viewed by very different standards of those used to watch a disturbing film by Ingmar Bergman, or the way you view a Tarkovsky or a Bresson or a Lynch or a Miike film. The point is, Noé definitely has a unique cinematic voice, and although it is a voice in development, it is a very powerful one and he needs no comparison to other filmmakers. As does Irreversible, the film ends with a passage of classical music that accentuates the bittersweetness of the finale. Another very good reason to watch this film, is the choice of actors used to play the characters in the film. The vision of the butcher seems to correspond to the world since it is the case that the people who inhabit it show that same decay in their expressions.