Climax

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2:05

Climax

R

2019

1h 35m

Drama

Music

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

185 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

When members of a dance troupe are lured to an empty school, drug-laced sangria causes their jubilant rehearsal to descend into a dark and explosive nightmare as they try to survive the night -- and find out who's responsible -- before it's too late.

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Critics Consensus

Challenging and rewarding in equal measure, Climax captures writer-director Gaspar Noé working near his technically brilliant and visually distinctive peak.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

03/16/2020

Regardless the various attempts at shock value (with scenes involving self-mutilation and abortion) seem downright desperate.

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Ben Croll

TheWrap

02/12/2020

Just like Possession, this tale of stylized hysteria is an absolute scream.

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Michael Koresky

Film Comment Magazine

03/21/2019

In the latest goofy provocation from a director who never saw a space-dank dungeon or sunny bedroom-upon which he couldn't unleash a swirly-twirly camera, Noé puts a pansexual, multicultural dance troupe through its paces before sending them to hell.

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Bianca Garner

Filmotomy

10/11/2024

There is so much potential here, and it's so frustrating that Noé didn't go even further. Apparently, Climax was shot with only a 5 page long script and it shows.

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D.M. Palmer

Vague Visages

11/09/2023

The film documents the dissipation of idealism and the gradual slide into self-annihilation...

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

03/08/2022

4/5

Less a film and more an experience (an anxiety-inducing one, at that), Climax is a fascinating and stressful watch.

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored 4d

Honestly one of the best musical movies I’ve seen! Very ballsy and fantastic soundtrack!

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Brandon A.

@That_Guy Jan 25

I absolutely love this movie, although I understand why others don't. Basically, if you don't like watching drug-fueled chaos, you probably will hate it. Also, if you're remotely homophobic, you'll definitely hate it, even though some of the "sympathetic" characters are homophobic. If you've experienced a bad LSD trip at any point in your life, and want to relive it on a large scale... you will love it. I normally can't stand musicals, but this is an absolute gem.

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EJ G.

@Artist_Lens Sep 27

Disclaimer, all ratings are based on the following criteria: 5 star great 4 star good 3 star decent 2 star poor 1 star awful

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Kat

@kassit215 Jul 27

I finished it so you don't have to. Literally nothing worth seeing here. Nothing cohesive, just a bunch of images. Nothing comes together in the end. You'll just be waiting for something that never happens and by the time the plot even started (halfway through the movie) I was already tired of waiting anyway.

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Dave S

Jul 25

With the grimy realism of Irreversible and the stunning pyrotechnics of Enter the Void, Gaspar Noe has proven his flair for visuals. Climax, the story of a group of French dancers tripping out after drinking acid-spiked sangria, proves to be the ideal vehicle for Noe. Filled with a pounding score, a vibrant colour palette, wildly creative camerawork, and a brilliant dance number early on, it has everything you expect from a Noe film, with one exception – there really isn’t anything resembling a plot or characterization, which makes it hard to care about anyone or anything as everyone freaks out over the last half of the movie. It’s one of those movies that you’ll either love to hate OR hate to love…or maybe find yourself somewhere in the middle.

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Tori L

Jul 18

First twenty minutes was dancing. Most of the rest was screaming. Absolutely terrible and ridiculous.

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Climax: Trailer 1

2:05

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Synopsis

When members of a dance troupe are lured to an empty school, drug-laced sangria causes their jubilant rehearsal to descend into a dark and explosive nightmare as they try to survive the night -- and find out who's responsible -- before it's too late.

Director: Gaspar Noé
Producer: Edouard Weil, Vincent Maraval, Brahim Chioua, Richard Grandpierre
Screenwriter: Gaspar Noé
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Les Cinémas de la Zone, Eskwad, Wild Bunch, KNM, arte France Cinéma, Rectangle Productions
Rating: R (Disturbing Content|A Combination of Drug Use|Violent Behavior|Language|Some Graphic Nudity|Strong Sexuality)
Genre: Drama, Music, Horror
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 1, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $813.8K
Runtime: 1h 35m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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