Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
Climax
Gaspar Noé's visually dazzling feast of music and mayhem reveals a director at the height of his provocative filmmaking powers.
Director: Gaspar Noé
Overview
Following a successful rehearsal, a dance troupe sets about celebrating with a party. But when it becomes apparent that someone has spiked the sangria, the joyous atmosphere soon descends into a nightmarish hellscape of violence and twisted carnality as the dancers begin to turn on each other in a delirious orgiastic frenzy.
Gaspar Noé - director of the hugely controversial Irreversible, Enter the Void, and Love - is working at the peak of his powers with Climax, a visually dazzling feast of music, movement, and mayhem. Inspired equally by the worlds of modern dance and esoteric arthouse-horror (chief among them, Dario Argento’s Suspiria and Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession), Climax pulses towards its astonishing conclusion with a thumping score by the likes of Daft Punk, Aphex Twin and Gary Numan. The result is a hypnotic experience from a filmmaker operating on an extraordinary visceral and sensory level.
strong threat, violence, sex references, drug misuse, very strong language
Related
Dragon's Return Dragon's Return
Drama 1968 85 mins Director: Eduarda Grecnera
A reclusive potter nicknamed ‘Dragon’, exiled from his isolated homestead, returns years later, aiming to win back the trust of the villagers.
Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys) Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys)
Historical drama 1925 75 mins Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Marking the centenary of Sergei Eisenstein’s landmark film, with thrilling music by Pet Shop Boys.
The Ice Storm The Ice Storm
Comedy 1997 113 mins Director: Ang Lee
An impressive ensemble cast populate Ang Lee’s riveting portrait of family life in 1970s America.
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Les Amants du Pont-Neuf
Drama 1991 126 mins Director: Léos Carax
A homeless addict (Denis Lavant) and a young painter (Juliette Binoche) with failing eyesight forge a bond on the streets of Paris.
Pharaoh Pharaoh
Historical drama 1965 146 mins Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Dazzling epic, in which the young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.
Je t'aime, je t'aime Je t'aime, je t'aime
Drama 1968 95 mins Director: Alain Resnais
A mysterious time-travel experiment becomes a warped voyage through memory, in this mesmerising sci-fi from acclaimed director Alain Resnais.
La Belle et la Bête La Belle et la Bête
Fantasy 1946 95 mins Director: Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau’s ravishingly restored 1946 film is a cinematic classic.
The Lover The Lover
Drama 1992 115 mins Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Jean-Jacques Annaud's powerful, intimate, and sensual adaptation of the best-selling novel by Marguerite Duras.
The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo
Drama 2024 178 mins Director: Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière
This rollicking take on Dumas’ swashbuckler, packed with lavish spectacle and high-stakes drama, slayed all Hollywood films at the French box-office.
Enter the Void Enter the Void
Drama 2010 161 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé’s psychedelic, unflinching journey through life and death, a defining work of New French Extremity set in neon-soaked Tokyo.
Red Angel Red Angel
Drama 1966 95 mins Director: Yasuzo Masumura
A potent and blood-soaked tale of saints and sinners set at the height of the Sino-Japanese war.
Irreversible Irreversible
Drama 2002 93 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé's retina-searing shocker about an assault and its revenge, told in reverse chronology and starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel.
Irreversible Irreversible
Drama 2002 93 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé's retina-searing shocker about an assault and its revenge, told in reverse chronology and starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel.
Enter the Void Enter the Void
Drama 2010 161 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé’s psychedelic, unflinching journey through life and death, a defining work of New French Extremity set in neon-soaked Tokyo.
Dragon's Return Dragon's Return
Drama 1968 85 mins Director: Eduarda Grecnera
A reclusive potter nicknamed ‘Dragon’, exiled from his isolated homestead, returns years later, aiming to win back the trust of the villagers.
Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys) Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys)
Historical drama 1925 75 mins Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Marking the centenary of Sergei Eisenstein’s landmark film, with thrilling music by Pet Shop Boys.
The Ice Storm The Ice Storm
Comedy 1997 113 mins Director: Ang Lee
An impressive ensemble cast populate Ang Lee’s riveting portrait of family life in 1970s America.
Chicken Town Chicken Town
Comedy 2025 90 mins Director: Richard Bracewell
Two old schoolfriends join forces with an elderly neighbour to fence a shed full of weed, in this sprightly, easy-going British comedy.
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Les Amants du Pont-Neuf
Drama 1991 126 mins Director: Léos Carax
A homeless addict (Denis Lavant) and a young painter (Juliette Binoche) with failing eyesight forge a bond on the streets of Paris.
Pharaoh Pharaoh
Historical drama 1965 146 mins Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Dazzling epic, in which the young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.