EntertainmentThis Bizarre Cult Classic Is a Trippy Neon Mindbender That’s Equal Parts Disturbing and Shocking

Gaspar Noé’sEnter the Void is one of those films that sounds impossible to execute on paper. For one, it’s told entirely from the first-person POV of a drug dealer named Oscar (Nathaniel Brown), who kicks the bucket in the first 20 minutes. The rest of the time is spent watching life go on without him. No doubt, the premise is out of the box, but Noé pulls it off using the combination of hypnotic visuals, floating camera work, and blind dedication to his idea. Oscar’s story feels like watching someone spiral through Tokyo while stuck in a bad trip. There’s everything from trauma to drugs and even a complicated relationship with his sister Linda (Paz de la Huerta). All of it is crowned with a lot of trippy spiritual stuff — all filtered through the lens of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Even though Noé isn’t trying to be subtle, the emotional weight sneaks in anyway.