Only God Forgives releases on Blu-ray and DVD from Radius-TWC on October 22nd.
“Wanna Fight?”, Ryan Gosling’s character Julian asks Vithaya Pansingram’s god-like, unnamed character. And they do. Like the Biblical Jacob wrestling with God, Julian is handed a profound ass-whipping, and the audience is forced to call to mind a dream-like, religion-soaked reality that lies beyond the physical Thai-set narrative of Only God Forgives.
I wrote up an extensive review of the film upon its theatrical release which also included coverage of a fascinating Q and A with director Nicolas Winding Refn and composer Cliff Martinez. I recommend checking out that piece for a full review of the film itself. Here I’d like to specifically react to my second viewing and how various elements sit with me now. And I’ll cover what you are going to get if you decide to take the plunge on the Blu-ray.
I find Only God Forgives to be a fascinating and largely successful art-horror film. Steeped in dream sequences, masterful visuals and score, and (mostly) muted performances, we are shown exactly what Refn wants us to see. Only God Forgives is very much a part of the Refn-verse in that way. I understand why this film is profoundly divisive, especially after the breakout success and wide appeal of Drive. Only God Forgives will not be for everyone. It stubbornly refuses to be appealing. But whereas I can’t say I had loved any of Refn’s films that I had seen up until Drive, I can say I love Only God Forgives.
What makes Only God Forgives’ aggressive unlikability appeal to me so much? When I could probably go the rest of my life without ever seeing Bronson or Valhalla Rising ever again? Two words: Cliff Martinez. I mentioned in my previous piece that the collaboration between Refn and Martinez might be one of the most important and powerful pairings of filmmaker to musician we’ve seen since Spielberg and Williams. Refn’s films are so much smaller that that statement is probably a little overreaching. But Refn indicates he’ll work with Martinez in all of his future projects and I think it is a match made in heaven.
Upon receiving the Blu-ray of Only God Forgives, I first watched the film with the commentary track on. And while I find Refn to be fascinating, watching the film again sans Martinez’ score reaffirmed how integral the soundscape is to what Refn’s brand of cinema is selling. I would even go so far as to say some of the shots fail without the propulsive and emotional score to back them up. Refn tells slow tales with very little dialogue. Drive and Only God Forgives both explore a level of silence in their characters that borders on uncomfortable. Some shots just feature our characters walking across streets or approaching the camera and brooding. Martinez’ score sells those shots. Without it, they fail.
A second viewing of Only God Forgives is also very rewarding from a thematic perspective and cements the film’s greatness. Pansingram comes out of nowhere (at least to this Westerner) and delivers a chilling and iconic performance as the film’s god/angel/judge/jury. Credited as “Chang” but never referred to as such in the film, Pansingram wields a physical and metaphorical sword of justice that is chilling and wonderful. Kristin Scott Thomas attacks her she-wolf mother character role with ferocity and is an integral piece of this Oedipal puzzle. And Ryan Gosling’s muted and floundering Julian offers a complex audience surrogate. Julian has been broken irreparably by his mother, and his fight with god will determine his salvation or damnation. As an audience we may have trouble rooting for any of these characters, but Julian’s brokenness and impotence remind us of how little control we truly have over our lives and how fighting God might sometimes feel like our only option, even if it leaves us bruised and battered.
The Package
The Film: I find Only God Forgives to be beautiful in its depiction of a dream-like and hellish modern day Thailand. Cinematographer Larry Smith teams with Refn and the lighting department to build a distinct and beautiful look to compliment the dread of the story. Martinez’s score is wonderful and sounds incredible. Overall, Only God Forgives is a film I’m not going to want to re-visit very often, especially after seeing it two or three times this year alone including the commentary watch. It is troubling and profoundly disturbing and successful in all it tries to accomplish. This is a beautiful and haunting Blu-ray package that you’ll only want to explore when your soul is steeled to do so.
The Features
Feature Commentary With Writer/Director Nicolas Winding Refn: Again, I find Refn to be fascinating. He has a dry sense of humor, a command of his craft, and a humility (or at least lack of raging ego) that I find endearing. This is a satisfying commentary for me because Refn explores a lot of the ideas of the film while never issuing forth a “correct” way to read it. I’m always more interested in the story the film is telling than the technical craft behind it, so this commentary works really well.
Behind The Scenes / Director Interviews: These are totally fine peeks behind the scenes of the making of the film. I like seeing these kinds of features but I’m not sure they’re ever a home video highlight. It is tough to make behind the scenes footage incredibly unique or compelling, but with subjects like Refn and Pansingram, this footage does hold one’s attention.
The Music Of Only God Forgives With Cliff Martinez: I’ve already sung the praises of this score repeatedly, and it is a treat to have a full featurette dedicated to this masterful work. Martinez is likeable and if you love the score as much as I do (listening to it as I write this on Spotify, if you are interested in checking it out yourself) you’ll be fascinated to see all of the various instruments Martinez used to create the unique, haunting, and distinctly Thai soundscape of the film.
Overall, this film has proven to be extremely divisive and I can’t recommend a “blind buy” to anyone, even people who have considered themselves to be fans of Refn’s work in the past. Rent the film or stream it, definitely. And if you fall into the “love it” camp, I’m sure you’ll be pleased to add this Blu-ray to your home video collection. I look forward to putting this disc on my shelf and not watching it again for several years, but I think the disc is a great package overall for a profound and disturbing film that is burned into my memory for good.
And I’m Out.