If you watched Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls thinking, “This Mutt Williams cat is great, but I’d really like to see how he bangs,” then you’re in luck. And also a weirdo.
Am I surprised that Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac will feature un-simulated sex from his stars? Not in the least, he’s been building to this for a while (Antichrist features a body double penetration scene that’s so detailed it belongs in a sex-ed class). What does surprise me is that von Trier found an A-lister (debatable) to accompany him on this journey in the form of Shia LaBeouf. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the man known as “The Beef” confirms he’s going all in:
“It is Lars von Trier, making a movie about what he’s making. For instance, there’s a disclaimer at the top of the script that basically says we’re doing it for real. Everything that is illegal, we’ll shoot in blurred images. Other than that, everything is happening.”
Nymphomaniac stars von Trier-regular Charlotte Gainsborough as a woman exploring her sexuality from adolescence to age 50, so it’s likely her and LeBeouf are getting down at some point.
Two consenting adults boning for the sake of art? What’s the harm? LeBeouf’s given interviews in the past that have read as sexually self-aggrandizing, so his presence here isn’t a surprise so much. Couple that with his promise in the aforementioned interview that he’ll forever be working outside the studio system in his post-Transformers career*, this seems like a brave avenue.
Lars von Trier doesn’t make films that are easy to watch, one assumes Nymphomaniac will be no different. How far the stars go for the sake of their art is a matter of debate until we see the finished product.
*Which is nothing but a load.
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