Gaspar Noe's latest masterpiece, a hyper-sexual 3-D movie called "Love," premiered during a midnight screening at Cannes Thursday. The love story, which tells of a young couple's dizzying affair, did not hold back, as the movie featured a number of graphic sex scenes, which were mostly shot using a 3D camera.
Ahead of the movie's debut, "Love" was already gaining buzz for its poster, which shows a close-up of an ejaculating penis next to a woman's lips and tongue.
But during the midnight screening, where hundreds of people gathered at the entrance to get to their seats, a brawl took place among the crowd, as some ticket holders were apparently not allowed to enter the Grand Palais Theater. The venue was nearing full capacity. The organizers didn't not expect the number of people who would be watching. Fortunately, the screening pushed through.
"For years, I have dreamed of making a film that would fully reproduce the passion of a young couple in love, in all its physical and emotional excesses," said Noe before the film started screening, according to the Daily Mail.
But while "Love" received a standing ovation afterwards, critics, however, were left unimpressed by Noe's work.
A member from the audience told the Daily Mail, "It was very conservative to be honest. Lot of penis shots, but no vagina close-ups. Particularly for this filmmaker, who is known for pushing the envelope, it was pretty tame stuff and also deeply heteronormative. I was expecting it to be more experimental and kinky. Bit of a let-down."
Noe's choice of using a 3-D camera to shoot a porn flick started as a joke, after he overheard someone saying that his next film should be done using the medium. But then, he saw that it was a feasible opportunity upon learning that the French government offers subsidies for work done in 3-D, according to Indiewire.
"I felt that 3-D would allow the viewer a greater sense of identification with the lead character and his nostalgic state," he told the audience after the screening.
Explicit scenes, controversies and critic notes notwithstanding, Noe seemed pretty pleased with "Love" and the audience's reception at the Cannes.
"I made a film about life. Why not address these aspects? They're part of the most wonderful moments of a person's life... I was making a film about love, it wasn't a film about Swiss banks or Scientology. The film is called love, so that's what's onscreen," Noe told the audience.
The movie has reportedly been sold for distribution in the United States, but its release date has yet to be determined.
