I STAND ALONE
**1/2 out of *****

Genres
Drama
Thriller

1998
Written and directed by
Gaspar Noé
Cast
Philippe Nahon .... The Butcher
Blandine Lenoir .... His Daughter, Cynthia
Frankie Pain .... His Mistress (as Frankye Pain)
Martine Audrain .... His Mother-in-Law
Jean-François Rauger .... Real Estate Agent
Guillaume Nicloux .... Supermarket Manager
Olivier Doran .... Narrator

I Stand Alone was the debut feature film from French filmmaker Gaspar Noé. Noé rose to cult status in 2002 with his controversial film Irréversible which, in some circles, caused quite a stir. But I Stand Alone is a different film entirely. It is set in France circa 1980, and tells the story of The Butcher (Philippe Nahon). Forced into retirement due to bankruptcy, he finds himself locked into a marriage with his nagging pregnant wife (Frankie Pain) and a hateful mother-in-law (Martine Audrain). Having moved from Paris hoping for a new life, he finds himself at the very bottom of the barrel living in a cramped apartment and taunted by the women every moment of the day. Then one day when confronted by his wife for cheating he snaps, beating his wife’s pregnant stomach and quite possibly killing their child.

Realising what he’s done the Butcher abandons them and returns to Paris. Poised on the edge, seething with bitterness and hatred for a world he must endure, he continues on looking for money, work and a place to stay. No one will help, not even his friends. After a barroom confrontation that leaves him filled with rage and filled with a resentment of his own life, he resorts to the one thing that makes him happy, which leads to what is quite possibly one of the most disturbing endings in film.

I usually don’t like to compare films, I like to think that each piece can stand on its own and has its own merits. But there are many films today that borrow or pay homage to classics. I Stand Alone is one of those films that clearly borrows from films such as Taxi Driver and more recently Vincent Gallo’s Buffalo ‘66. The story structure is quite similar to Buffalo ‘66 and almost feels like a sequel of sorts, additionally you can also see trademarks in the Butcher from the Travis Bickle character in Taxi Driver, the loner who’s ready to explode from living in an unforgiving world that simmers with bitterness and hate. There is an unavoidable depth of decay and deprivation portrayed in the character that remains stagnant throughout the film. Unlike Taxi Driver the Butcher’s depression doesn’t transcend to nihilism, it builds and builds as the narration reaches an unconscionable crescendo. The Butcher reaches a point where all is lost except one ray of light, the proverbial silver lining, his daughter. Introduced briefly in the beginning, we finally see her near the end of the film in a segment were Noé abruptly warns the audience that they have 30 seconds to leave the screening, because what comes next will leave a bitter taste in your mouth after its twisted conclusion.

For those that haven’t seen the film the following paragraph contains spoilers so to read it please highlight the segment.

It is in this final scene where the Butcher’s anger comes full circle and he kills his daughter at the very place where she was conceived. It’s this sequence of events that leads him to believe that he is a good man and no matter what the world throws at him he still has his daughter. Then we realise that the shooting was a daydream. It is instead a moment he shares with his daughter, an incestual moment where he feels nothing of what he did before, no hate, no anger, no self-deprecation, nothing but love. It’s this moment he chooses to stay in. In his final monologue he says “At least I have this moment”. He’s finally found his place in the world. Sick?, yes, twisted?, yes, a satisfying ending?, well I guess you’ll have to judge for yourself. The Butcher was essentially made out to be a sympathetic character, that way the audience would be willing to accept whatever happened to him in the end, whether you’ll be willing to accept the plight of his daughter is another thing altogether.

Finger_Of_DOOM's reviews also appear on DVD Compare, where they include details of the DVD release. For this review click here.

Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts)