Vortex Trailer: The Sadness Of Aging In Split Screen
Today we have a new trailer for the latest Gaspar Noé film, "Vortex." This film looks like it will be beautiful and stick with you for a long time, but just know going in that it is very sad. I'm talking about the trailer, but with subject matter like this, I don't think this is a misdirect. "Vortex" deals with the subject of dementia, aging, declining health, a child's responsibility to their parents, and what happens to a relationship as one person's memory starts to fade.
This isn't just a straightforward study of aging. It's done at least partially in split screen, with the images slightly askew. At least that's what I noticed in the trailer. It makes sense. If everything you've known and expected to know about your life is slowly falling apart, the world is going to look slightly off to you. "Vortex" stars Françoise Lebrun and Dario Argento as the aging couple, and Alex Lutz as their son. The film from Utopia and Wild Bunch International is a New York Film Festival 2021 Official Selection and a Festival De Cannes 2021 Official Selection.
'Life is a dream, isn't it?'
This may be painful to watch for a lot of people, but what we see here is beautiful. If you're lucky enough to make it to old age, you may very well be faced with issues like dementia. I cannot imagine the pain that watching a loved one go through this causes. From the trailer, we get a glimpse of issues like staying in the home you love, trying to find care for aging parents, keeping track of someone who can't be trusted on their own, and the person you love most losing their memories of you.
Here is the official info for "Vortex:"
Presented in split screen, VORTEX tells the story of an aging couple in a Paris apartment. As the mother (Françoise Lebrun) faces advancing dementia, the father (Dario Argento) tries to care for her while dealing with his own declining health, and their son (Alex Lutz) does his best in spite of his own significant personal problems. With this film, Director Gaspar Noé (Enter the Void, Climax, Irreversible) delivers a career best, finding a level of compassion and tenderness that sacrifices none of the visual excitement that has marked his best work.
"Vortex" also stars Laurent Aknin and Jean-Pierre Bouyxou. The film will hit theaters in New York City on April 29, 2022, and will be released nationwide on May 6, 2022.