Climax (Gaspar Noe, 2018)⭐⭐⭐

More light-hearted, transgressive fun from cinema's Monsieur Chuckles. Climax is a largely improvised film supposedly based on the true story of a French dance troupe who had their after-party drinks spiked with LSD.

So it is here, with a group of dancers - introduced individually during a series of talking-head clips, framed with horror and exploitation DVD cases that hint at what may be to come - who show us a truly spectacular, choreographed rehearsal that they plan to take on tour in the US. To celebrate, they begin to party in their rehearsal space - an abandoned school that has for some reason been tricked out with lots of gel filtered stage lighting.

It soon becomes obvious that they are all starting to feel a bit odd and the few sober attendees are accused of spiking the bowl of sangria. Soon, what began as a joyful expression of art and freedom begins to fracture as petty jealousies, misogyny and hallucinations drive them to fight, freak out, fuck or kill.

Noe assembled a cast of professional dancers who had no acting experience, plus Sofia Boutella (Kingsman, Rebel Moon) and Souheila Yacoub (Nicolas Cage's Jesus sort-of biopic, The Carpenter's Son) both of whom have a dance background in addition to their acting careers.

Despite their amateur status, the cast do really well with some leaning into the horror of what is unfolding (one particularly harrowing thread involves a mother and child struggling to survive the night) while others embrace the chaos and dance.

There was no script, just a rough story outline with some key moments to include, with the cast left to improvise their own dialogue and steer the story however they wished.

This gives the film a rather disjointed quality but one that fits well with the addled state of the characters. He also avoids any 'blurred-vision' shots or any special effects that might show the acid trip from the characters' POV. Instead, we see them as a sober observer would.

He also, however, makes the choice to film the last 20 minutes of the movie almost entirely using an upside-down Steadicam. This underlines the chaotic, world-gone-to-hell quality of the climactic orgy of sex and violence. It also makes it a bit of a pain in the arse to actually see what is going on, particularly as everything is drenched in red light and pulsing strobes. So, an experiment with somewhat mixed results.

This is a visually powerful cinematic experience that will definitely stay with you. It is also, in the words of media critic Homer J Simpson, just a bunch of stuff that happened. Possibly not one for a family film night.