As I have gotten older, I have explored new varieties of film. I believe that when you are a cinephile or lover of cinema, there will come a point in time when you will be recommended a certain genre or type of films that you are not used to. Certain types of films that are arthouse and experimental have molded what my taste in film is today. I would like to focus on a genre a film that isn’t quiet as well known to the mainstream audience, but has garnered a small, yet serious cult following. That genre is known as Extreme Cinema.
What separates Extreme films from others is it’s excessive use of violence, torture, and sex. These are the kinds of films that when viewed, critics and audiences alike turn a blind eye towards them. But there are some people who actually enjoy these types of films, and try to champion this genre. These are the kind of films that are highly controversial, and so extreme that at some showings there are paramedics who are there to help in case someone has a physical reaction, such as a seizure, which has happened before.
I was compelled to make this post after I watched a film titled A Serbian Film, which was banned in multiple countries. As these films usually go, I found myself shocked and horrified by what I was experiencing and witnessing onscreen. This was not the only time I have felt that kind of feeling. Before seeing this particular film, I was already introduced to the genre and had seen many films within it. Surprisingly, I think I have become an advocate for this type of genre. Not necessarily an outspoken one, but I have found that when extreme cinema comes into the conversation with colleagues and friends, I defend this genre.
The first extreme film I saw was Requiem for a Dream. I had already seen a decent amount of horror films, and films I thought were shocking at the time, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the strength of this very film. I remember vividly a feeling of despair the swept over me, that lingered for longer than I would’ve thought. “How can a movie make me feel so gross?” I pondered to myself. This feeling of repulsion, albeit strong, was also met with a desire to know more. Why did I react the way I did? Why did it feel so personal? These are the kind of things film can do to us. They can evoke feelings deep within us, that we might keep hidden, and put them right in the spotlight. It can question and answer the deepest parts of human nature, and of the world around us.
These thought provoking and hard hitting questions and ideas that we hold can be brought up in film, especially extreme films. That’s why it’s called extreme. It challenges our thoughts, what we believe to be moral and ethical, what’s conscious or subconscious, who we are as human beings and so forth. There are no limitations. All is possible in the hands of the director and everyone else who is involved in bringing these types of films into the world.
Admittedly, films that are known as being extreme or having extreme aspects, could also be classified as being exploitative. There a films that are made, just for the sake of being shocking, to scar the audience. With very little substance, and no other redeeming qualities. I completely understand that perspective and agree with condemning those movies. However, I think it would be unfair to dismiss all extreme films, as being hollow and unapologetically sadistic. That is simply narrow-minded thinking.
In conclusion, I feel that extreme cinema is not a dying genre and it is something that more people need to appreciate. The themes, subject matter, and imagery that are conveyed have the ability to make the viewer re-evaluate themselves, their life, every part of their being. That should be commended.
Cedric Cinema 