If you know Danish director Lars von Trier’s catalog of controversial experimental work (which includes short films, feature films, television series, and a semi-documentary where he challenges another director to remake one of his old films with various stipulations) then you know two of his favorite subjects are depression and sex. They’re almost always present in his work, but in his two latest projects they’re at the front lines. As you can tell from the titles Melancholia (2011) dealt with depression and the upcoming Nymphomaniac will handle the sex – that’s not to say it won’t also be depressing. It’s still a Von Trier film.
Charlotte Gainsbourg stars as the titular nymphomaniac (sorry, sex addict) with Stellan Skarasgard as the man she relates her life story to. Other cast members include Shia LeBeouf (continuing, as he did with The Company You Keep and Charlie Countryman, his efforts to shed his teen idol image), Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Christian Slater, Jamie Bell, and Uma Thurman. It may be odd to see big name, box office friendly folks like Thurman and LeBeouf appearing in something by a director who was once part of the Dogme 95 experimental film movement, but after Kristen Dunst received a best actor award at Cannes for her role in Melancholia, these stars (who the critics have not always been kind to) might give similar performances at the hands of Von Trier.
Check out Nymphomaniac ‘s first trailer. Warning! Even though it’s not marked as such, this is definitely a redband trailer.
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