Which is not to say No\u00e9 can\u2019t still knock the wind out of you. Vortex<\/em> begins with the dedication, \u201cTo all those whose brains will decompose before their hearts,\u201d setting the stage for the tragedy we\u2019re about to see. Its first scene seems tantalizingly benign, set \u2014 as most of the rest of the film is \u2014 in the overstuffed Parisian apartment of an aging couple, film critic \u201cThe Father\u201d (director Dario Argento) and former doctor \u201cThe Mother\u201d (a heartbreaking Fran\u00e7oise Lebrun). There\u2019s clear affection between the pair, and as they sit down for a lovely ap\u00e9ro of wine and snacks on their balcony, the Mother says, \u201cLife\u2019s a dream, isn\u2019t it?\u201d \u201cA dream within a dream,\u201d agrees her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A nightmare soon descends on the couple. While lying in bed, the dividing line of a split screen seeps down the middle of the frame like a slowly advancing cancer, separating the pair even while they share the same space. The Mother awakens in a state of panic, disorientation etched on Lebrun\u2019s features, and it quickly becomes clear that she has dementia. At points, she fails to recognize her husband and \u201cThe Son,\u201d St\u00e9phane (Alex Lutz), with looks of confusion and fear often washing over her face. As she begins to deteriorate further, he refuses to leave their home for a nursing home, though it\u2019s clear he can no longer care for her himself due to his own health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though Vortex<\/em> is less tortuous than many of No\u00e9\u2019s films, this is still a tough sit. Its everyday trauma is crushing from its first act through the devastating finale over two hours later. Climax<\/em> had its disturbing moments (understatement of the year), but there were still some flashes of joy. Even No\u00e9 himself, who has seemed to take such pleasure in poking at his viewers in the past, appears to understand the gravity of the onscreen tragedy in this couple\u2019s lives. However, he\u2019s still No\u00e9, and there\u2019s the desire to play with the medium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the director\u2019s films often tip into sensory overload, Vortex<\/em> is surprisingly spare, other than the central visual trick of the split screen. He also employed the technique in Lux \u00c6terna<\/em>, which was screened at Cannes in 2019 and is finally getting its U.S. theatrical release this year. Long takes that test the endurance of both the cast and the audience dwell equally in the family\u2019s more traumatic moments and the quotidian ones, which echo Chantal Ackerman\u2019s Jeanne Dielman<\/em> in the time they devote to everyday tasks. There are lengthy periods without dialogue \u2014 the Mother and the Father go about their respective days quietly \u2014 and much of what is said was improvised. There\u2019s no score either, with the sounds of Parisian street noise, the clack of the Father\u2019s typewriter, or the couple\u2019s TV providing background \u201cmusic.\u201d Muted tones appropriately replace the neon palette No\u00e9 is generally known for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Devastation is inherent in the plight of the Mother and the Father, but Vortex<\/em> isn\u2019t as emotionally wrecking as it should be. Despite the intimate camerawork and documentary feel, there\u2019s still a distance between the audience and these characters that makes this a less affecting experience than either No\u00e9\u2019s previous work or similar films like Michael Haneke\u2019s Amour<\/em> and Sarah Polley\u2019s Away from Her<\/em>. Keeping the central couple unnamed adds to the near-universality of the experience, but it also adds a coldness to the proceedings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Death has been a fixture in previous No\u00e9 films, but it has often been intertwined with violence, rather than the simple passage of time. Yet while Vortex\u2019s <\/em>version of death lacks the brutality of murder, its impact still reverberates on those left behind. In the movie\u2019s early moments, a radio interview with experts on grief can be heard, and the concept takes on dual implications. There is, of course, the grief that comes after a loved one\u2019s death, but dementia prolongs the process, robbing you of valuable time as the aging person loses their memories and can bear little resemblance to the person you knew. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At 58, No\u00e9 is by nature no longer the enfant terrible of his \u2014 and many of our \u2014 youth, intent on provocation at the expense of nearly everything else. Vortex<\/em> may represent an evolution for the filmmaker or merely No\u00e9 briefly experimenting with another approach, but it does represent growth regardless. He still has the ability to surprise, even \u2014 and perhaps especially \u2014 when he\u2019s making a less shocking film.\u00a0 “Vortex” is in theaters in New York Friday. It opens in Los Angeles on May 6, with a national rollout to follow.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/vortex2-1024x576.png\")
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