onesandzeros

So I was flipping through netflix last night and I came across this:



I'd never heard of this movie before, I just noticed the lovely Rosario Dawson's name and visage on the cover (whom I have a huge school boy crush on). So I read the description with included the words promiscuous, Rosario, and Dawson, and saw that it was rated NC-17, and so I watched.

Now every once in a while a movie comes along that will be particularly.....gratuitous. Most of the time the movie will take something and do it in the most extreme fashion it can to pass as shocking or intense. For a fine example of this see the new remake of Last House of the Left. To me the entire rape scene of the young lady in the film was without cause, the violence alone would have carried that film to it's final purpose swiftly and expertly, but the rape scene left you dumbfounded. I no longer hated the "bad people" in the film and wished the violence upon them that they supposedly deserved, but found myself hating the director for bringing such a horror upon myself. Some will argue that that's the point, but from time to time I have to disagree and say there often times is a line that shouldn't be approached, let alone crossed.

So back to Descent. Firstly let me say overall I would give this a 1/5, it drug on, it was nonsensical, poorly shot, and oh yeah, it got gratuitous. Now if you'd like to see this movie I'm going to put my discussion in spoilers as it contains what happens at the end of the film, but if you'd like to save two hours of your life read on, I will post the netflix description and let you decide.

The Descent
In the wake of a violent rape that leaves her shattered and emotionally destroyed, a star college student (Rosario Dawson) with a once-promising future descends into a downward spiral of depression, drug abuse and promiscuity. Talia Lugacy directs this Tribeca Film Festival selection that explores what happens when the victim ultimately gets the chance to exact revenge upon her attacker (Chad Faust).

So I have rambled on about this too long I think. So question of the day, have you ever seen a movie that you thought took something too far without purpose?