Seul Contre Tous

Title: Seul contre tous (I Stand Alone)
Release Date: 1998
Director: Gaspar Noé

Wow. What we have here is gritty, surreal French film highlighting the mental decadence of a decaying, lifeless butcher destined for emptiness. The entire movie is undeniably hollow, glimpses of hope and joy are no where to be found and the fleeting desperation our protagonist latches onto leads him to question the morality and righteousness of society. Is society right in its ways? Who is to decide what is considered taboo and acceptable? Happiness is just as subjective and variable as the weather, the unprecedented urges and preconceptions we have on love and joy are fleeting and personal, why is that we are bound by invisible rules and regulations? Is it possible that we’re so afraid to stray from the confines of a moral and social adherence that we’re feared into conformity?

The film is highly reminiscent of Taxi Driver, both characters feel driven by a dominant sexual compulsion and undeniable hatred for society. The difference lies in the type of angst they endure. While Taxi Driver is more about the grueling futility of resisting fantasies and the inescapable inevitability of insanity, I Stand Alone is about the smothered rage that slowly builds from loneliness and solitude, the dwindling moments the character latches onto slowly burning away as the film highlights these final moments. I Stand Alone is told mainly in first person narrative, the protagonist lashing out against society, his family, the world, love, anything and everything that is wrong with today’s society. The only way to escape this pain is to leave it, once and for all.

Extremely violent and gritty, this film accentuates the intensity and raw power of emotion and solitude. A life without love or hope, the bleakness of emotional turmoil to the point of breaking, the unwillingness for society to accept standards outside of our preconceived notions and comfort, this film portrays life on the other side. Life is a selfish act.

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