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Why are so many people disturbed by this?

posted 11 years ago by alex-tinker81
13 replies | jump to latest

I rarely find a list of disturbing films without finding Begotten near the top. It has been called by many "the most disturbing movie of our time" and "horror in its purest form".

I made it through Begotten one time and I recall that the first ten minutes felt like hours. I like to think that I have a reasonably good intellect and that I don't need my horror spoon-fed to me, but Begotten is something else entirely. I have read countless interpretations of the film, dealing with the religious imagery, sexual imagery, life, death, rebirth, etc. on and on and on. What is it that people find disturbing, exactly? It's weird, yes...but upsetting? How?

All I could make of this film was a pretentious failure at art. Is it disturbing? No. It is bizarre? Yes. Is it grotesque? Maybe a little, depending on your definition of the word.

For me, it was a complete waste of the time and effort I spent trying to make heads or tales of it. I can't say that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because so many others have seen it and were deeply moved. However, I wouldn't advise anyone with a mind similar to mine to waste their time watching it. A total miss.

[–] Sergeant D 11 years ago

Agreed. I didn't see much beyond the initial disembowling scene. While visually shocking for a brief period, that part dragged on for too long and the rest of the movie just had no point. It was more like a silent expressionist play filmed in low quality and dragged out way too long. As has been stated before, this could have actually been good if it was much shorter. The over extension just made it pretentious.

[–] alex-tinker81 11 years ago

I think you hit the nail on the head. If it were shortened to maybe 10 minutes total, it could be a very effective exercise as a dramatic short.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] alex-tinker81 11 years ago

I have read reviews of Begotten. Many of them. Hence, this is why I find it all so mind-boggling. I simply can't see what the reviewers see in the film or I disagree with their opinions on the film. I am just not going to see anything in it. Bottom line.

[–] smitthhh 10 years ago

The disturbing part is the time wasted actually watching it.

[–] BertramWilberforceWooster 10 years ago

The most disturbing part of the movie is the fact I sat through the entire thing.

--
Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb.

[–] Sturm_Liouville 9 years ago

Perhaps you are incapable or prefer not to ponder its existential relevance.

[–] NoOneOnEarth (38) 8 years ago

I haven't seen it in 20 years, but I was so disturbed by it I couldn't eat until the next day. I've been really into horror since I can literally remember, and this was one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of the most fucked up movies ever produced.

[–] modica (4169) 5 years ago

The beginning images along with the audio disturbed me. Looks brilliant, but, for me, it is also hard to watch.

[–] AP (5295) 5 years ago

I tried watching it and it just got monotonous after a while. As someone else pointed out, it would work as a ten minute short but there are several sequences that are dragged out. There are also several shots where it was hard to tell what was going on, so it was more frustrating than anything.

[–] modica (4169) 5 years ago

I think that was the intention of the director to not clearly show what was happening. It's kind of like abstract art.

[–] AP (5295) 5 years ago

I get that. But for me, it was so unclear, I couldn’t feel anything about what was going on.

[–] modica (4169) 5 years ago

Yes, I get it, but I suppose viewers are expected to translate the images into something they can relate to. Art is a funny thing. Some get it, others don't. It's always been that way.