Willem Dafoe Says Lars Von Trier’s ‘Antichrist’ Is Misunderstood

I get why Lars von Trier is one of the most polarizing filmmakers in the world. He’s unafraid to push buttons and has built a career out of provocation. With that said, one of his most debated films must surely be “Antichrist,” which stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

In a recent interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Dafoe specifically names “Antichrist” as a film he’s proud of, and goes on to claim that the film has been totally misunderstood.

“I think it gets misidentified because of some of its extremeness,” Dafoe said, “but I think it really speaks to interesting things about women’s power, men’s fear of women, the struggle between the logical and the magical in life. There’s lots of sexual politics in it, and it’s not about misogyny at all.”

He added, “I think [von Trier] identifies with the women more than the man. I can tell you that because I play the straight, logical one in the movie. But I think he’s genuinely curious and he’s a great filmmaker. So, you know, the opening of that movie and the epilogue of that movie is great cinema.”

“Antichrist” was this deeply disturbing film about a married couple (Dafoe and Gainsbourg) dealing with the tragic loss of their child. It’s set up much in the vein of Roeg’s “Don’t Look Now,” except instead of going to Venice, the couple in Von Trier’s film relocate to a cabin in the woods to get away from everything, but while there, they both begin to descend into madness.

 The film is the work of a madman. We later learned that Von Trier was directing “Antichrist” while battling a deep depression, and it shows. In that same interview Dafoe reveals the struggle the filmmaker had while making the film.

“He used to say to me every day, “Listen, I may not be there tomorrow, but I can direct you remotely from a trailer I have,” Dafoe said. “But he showed up every day. But he needed to tell me that every day, me and Charlotte. It kind of breaks your heart. So, he’s a guy that struggles with many things, but he’s got a big heart and he also has given a lot to cinema.”

There’s no light in “Antichrist.” The first time I saw the film, I didn’t like it. A second viewing revealed more of its nuances to me. This was a story about resentment, mourning and depression, but set in a mystical world. It’s punishingly intense, and the type of film one wouldn’t necessarily want to go back to and revisit.

Editor’s Note: It should be noted that “Antichrist” came very close to winning the Palme d’Or, and that would have surely changed its standing today.

Behind the scenes, Jury President Isabelle Huppert and fellow juror James Gray “fought bitterly” over which film deserved the top prize, partly because she loved “Antichrist” (for which Gainsbourg ended up wining Best Actress) and he loved Jacques Audiard’s “A Prophet” (which ended up winning the Grand Prix). They finally settled on Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” for the Palme.