With almost every movie directed by provocateur Lars von Trier, there's always been a sense of self-awareness lurking beneath the purposely controversial nature of his pictures; with Nymphomaniac, his sex-obsessed magnus opus, it's more apparent than ever. What's odd is that this doesn't spoil the movie in as so much as it enhances it - despite its pretensions, Nymphomaniac is genuinely a lot of fun. That's not to say there are aren't moments of sheer indulgence scattered throughout, but most of the time Von Trier just seems to be enjoying himself. Chronicling the life of a woman named Jo (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg), Nymphomaniac - excessive as it is - remains enthralling thanks to its structure. We move from one anecdote to the next as she outlines the sum of her sexual odyssey to a congenial Stellan Skaarskard: whereas most are melancholic, many are downright hilarious. The end result is that of a melting pot: dozens of innovative or downright crazed ideas working to varying degrees of success. And yet what could have been laughable is made riveting because von Trier is in on the joke.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
