So, here’s the official synopsis for Lars Von Trier’s forthcoming Nymphomaniac which features Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgard and an overtly suggestive title:
“Nymphomaniac is the wild and poetic story of a woman’s erotic journey from birth to the age of 50 as told by the main character, the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, Joe.
On a cold winter’s evening the old, charming bachelor, Seligman, finds Joe beaten up in an alleyway. He brings her home to his flat where he tends to her wounds while asking her about her life. He listens intently as Joe over the next 8 chapters recounts the lushly branched-out and multi faceted story of her life, rich in associations and interjecting incidents.”
Associations? Interjecting Incidents? Chapters? Hot damn. We all need a cold shower right?
The fascinating thing about the project is that…wait. From birth? It traces her erotic journey “from birth”?? Is Von Trier getting into Serbian Film territory? Let’s hope so. And let’s hope Gainsbourg gets more recognition for her fearlessness in working with the man. This synopsis may not be as salacious as the title, but it’s knowing that he’s already made her furiously masturbate in a forest clearing while trying to harm her husband that makes the anticipation of what he might make the actress do this time around disturbingly exciting. She’s courageous beyond measure.