To add insult to injury, the film is also very confusing. The problems of the wife (who's listed in the credits as "She") are started by the loss of her son and the grief that inevitably ensues. But the reason she fears the nature of the woods, for example, is never really clear. Not unless I missed it within one of the film's many apparently profound dream sequences. Even the structure of titled stages - Grief, Pain, Despair - doesn't really help.
I guess films like this will always be needed to generate discussions with audiences who have an explicit yea or nay opinion. I am in the nay corner in this case, and find it hard to see why someone would be on the opposite side. Antichrist is without a doubt a technically well made film, and von Trier clearly had a specific vision in mind that he has put firmly into place without fear of the backlash he may receive (perhaps that's exactly what he wants). But I found it to be a disgusting piece of work that aims to do little more than shock and provoke its audience in any way it possibly can.
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