Climax
Climax

Movie spotlight

Climax

2018
Movie
97 min
French

When a dance troupe is lured to an empty school, a bowl of drug-laced sangria causes their jubilant rehearsal to descend into a dark and explosive nightmare as they try to survive the night—and find who's responsible—before it's too late.

Insights

IMDb6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes75%
Metacritic60/100
Google Users65%
Director: Gaspar NoéGenres: Horror, Drama, Music

Plot Summary

A troupe of dancers gathers in a remote, empty school building to rehearse for a touring performance. As they share a communal bowl of sangria, unbeknownst to them, it has been laced with potent LSD. What begins as a celebratory after-party devolves into a nightmarish descent into paranoia, chaos, and violence as inhibitions dissolve and primal instincts take over.

Critical Reception

Gaspar Noé's 'Climax' is a divisive and visceral cinematic experience that polarized critics and audiences. Praised for its audacious filmmaking, mesmerizing choreography, and unsettling atmosphere, it was also criticized for its explicit content and perceived lack of narrative depth. Despite the mixed reactions, it is widely considered a provocative and unforgettable entry in the genre.

What Reviewers Say

  • Visually stunning with hypnotic choreography that draws viewers into its descent.

  • A challenging and provocative film that pushes boundaries with its unflinching depiction of chaos.

  • Some found the narrative thin and the explicit content gratuitous, while others lauded its unique artistic vision.

Google audience: Audiences generally found 'Climax' to be a visually striking and intensely atmospheric film, often praising the dance sequences and the unsettling mood. However, many viewers expressed discomfort with the film's graphic nature and disturbing descent into madness, with some finding it to be an overwhelming and unpleasant experience.

Awards & Accolades

Won the Directors' Fortnight prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Fun Fact

The film's dialogue was largely improvised by the cast, based on prompts given by director Gaspar Noé.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

2 reviews
Stephen Campbell

Stephen Campbell

**_A disgusting, morally reprehensible work of insane genius_** >_LSD or mainly alcohol can bring you back to a more reptilian way of thinking, you are not human anymore. It is all about survival, about reproducing the species, about sex...

furious_iz

furious_iz

A french dance troupe, staying for a long weekend in some sort of school building, decide to party after rehearsal, while a wintry blizzard rages outside. Someone spikes the punch, and all hell breaks loose. The dance scenes are engagin...