by Marc Patterson

If you’re going to be at Sundance Film Fest here in the next few days you stand a chance to get a look at Gaspar Noe’s latest entry where he descends into the bowels of Japan, Enter the Void.  IFC Films has just announced their acquisition for U.S. Distribution rights to Enter the Void, strengthening their reputation for bringing some of the highest quality films to American audiences. Just over the past couple of years we’ve seen IFC deliver the instantly classic Let The Right One In, and of course one of last years best films, The House of the Devil.

Enter the Void is Noe’s first feature length film since 2002’s shocking and brutally twisted masterpiece, Irreversible (reviewed here).  Before that Noe brilliantly directed what I consider to be one of the most powerful and confronting films ever made, I Stand Alone, (reviewed here).

Enter The Void is described as “a surrealist drama about a drug-dealing teen killed in Japan, after which he reappears as a ghost to watch over his sister. Enter the Void is a provocative yet contemplative exploration of life, death and sexuality.”

The Official Synopsis:
Loosely inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Enter The Void centers on Oscar and his sister Linda, recent arrivals in Tokyo. Oscar is a small time drug dealer, and Linda works as a nightclub stripper. One night, Oscar is caught up in a police bust and shot. As he lies dying, his spirit, faithful to the promise he made his sister – that he would never abandon her – refuses to abandon the world of the living. His spirit wanders through the city, his visions growing evermore distorted, evermore nightmarish. Past, present and future merge in a hallucinatory maelstrom.

Of the film IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring stated, “Enter the Void is an experience that is almost impossible to describe. Gaspar Noe is at the peak of his filmmaking powers with this film that is destined to become a cult classic. The entire team is thrilled to be working on this film and with Gaspar. It’s the perfect film for all of our platforms.”

Enter The Void premiered in competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and was also featured at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival. The film stars newcomers Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta (The Limits of Control) and Cyril Roy.

As with Let the Right One In and The House of the Devil, IFC plans to release Enter the Void this year via its IFC in Theaters VOD platform. No specific date has yet been given, but we’ll be sure to let you know when we get word.

View Trailers:

Source: IFC