
The film is dedicated to the Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–86).Īntichrist is the first film in Von Trier's unofficially titled Depression Trilogy.

Other awards won by the film include the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film, the Robert Award for Best Danish Film, The Nordic Council Film Prize for best Nordic film and the European Film Award for best cinematography. Filming began in the late summer of 2008, primarily in Germany, and was a Danish production co-produced by several other film production companies from six different European countries.Īfter its premiere at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where Gainsbourg won the festival's award for Best Actress, the film immediately caused controversy, with critics generally praising its artistic execution but remaining strongly divided regarding its substantive merit. Written in 2006 while Von Trier had been hospitalized due to a significant depressive episode, the film was largely influenced by his own struggles with depression and anxiety. The narrative is divided into a prologue, four chapters and an epilogue. It tells the story of a couple who, after the death of their child, retreat to a cabin in the woods where the man experiences strange visions and the woman manifests increasingly violent sexual behavior and sadomasochism.

Antichrist (stylized as ANTICHRIS♀) is a 2009 experimental psychological horror film written and directed by Lars Von Trier and starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
