Enter the Void

Enter the Void
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gaspar Noé
Produced by	Brahim Chioua Vincent Maraval Olivier Delbosc Marc Missonnier
Written by	Gaspar Noé
Starring	Nathaniel Brown Paz de la Huerta Cyril Roy Ed Spear
Cinematography	Benoît Debie
Edited by	Gaspar Noé Marc Boucrot Jérôme Pesnel
Production company	Fidélité Films
Distributed by	Wild Bunch Distribution
Release date	22 May 2009 (2009-05-22) (Cannes) 5 May 2010 (2010-05-05) (France)
Running time	Long Version: 161 minutes International Version: 143 minutes
Country	France
Language	English
Budget	€12.38 million
Box office	$1,467,278

Enter the Void is a 2009 English-language French drama film written and directed by Gaspar Noé and starring Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, and Cyril Roy. Set in the neon-lit nightclub environments of Tokyo, the story follows Oscar, a young American drug dealer who gets shot by the police, but continues to watch subsequent events during an out-of-body experience. The film is shot from a first-person viewpoint, which often floats above the city streets, and occasionally features Oscar staring over his own shoulder as he recalls moments from his past. Noé labels the film a "psychedelic melodrama".

Noé's dream project for many years, the production was made possible after the commercial success of his previous feature film, Irréversible (2002). Enter the Void was primarily financed by Wild Bunch, while Fidélité Films led the actual production. With a mix of professionals and newcomers, the film makes heavy use of imagery inspired by experimental cinema and psychedelic drug experiences. Principal photography took place on location in Tokyo, and involved many complicated crane shots. Co-producers included the visual effects studio BUF Compagnie, which also provided the computer-generated imagery. The film's soundtrack is a collage of electronic pop and experimental music.

A rough cut premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, but post-production work continued, and the film was not released in France until almost a year later. A cut-down version was released in the United States and United Kingdom in September 2010. The critical response was sharply divided: positive reviews described the film as captivating and innovative, while negative critics called it tedious and puerile. The film performed poorly at the box office.

Oscar (Nathaniel Brown) lives in Tokyo with his younger sister Linda (Paz de la Huerta) and supports himself by dealing drugs, against the advice of his friend Alex (Cyril Roy), who attempts to turn Oscar's interest toward The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Buddhist book about the afterlife. The first segment begins with Linda leaving for work (at a local strip club) and then follows Oscar's nightly routine through strict point-of-view shots, including momentary blackouts that represent blinking, private internal thoughts, and extended sequences of a DMT-induced hallucination.