“Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1” marks the first half in the final installment of Lars Von Trier’s depression trilogy. The film, which has been the source of endless debates over its cinematic legitimacy, is a racy, provocative, and challenging exploration of one woman’s complex journey through sexual discovery. Following a short symphonic juxtaposition of sight and sound, the film opens on the body of Joey (Charlotte Gainsbourg), lying bruised amidst a labyrinth-esque apartment courtyard. Refusing medical help upon being discovered by aging loner Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), Joey agrees to return to Seligman’s apartment. From this moment the film delves into a philosophical conversation between Joey and Seligman, where Joey details the first half of her journey through sexual liberation and discovery; posing Seligman in moral conflict against Joey’s negative critique of her self-diagnosed nymphomania.

Growing stronger with each release, Von Trier’s visual and technical prowess is undeniable. Despite his battle against controversy and often-inconsistent politics, Von Trier’s films encompass a formal precision that secures his place high among the leading cinematic visionaries. Broken up in five chapters, "Vol. 1"’s excellence is most realized in “Chapter 3: Mrs. H”.  Von Trier’s willingness to defy classical conventions in his manipulations of style for purely semantic ends allows the scene to flourish. Presented in a compressed aspect ratio, the sequence depicts the uncomfortable exchange between a young Joey (Stacy Martin) and Mrs. H (Uma Thurman). In a paramount performance by Thurman, Mrs. H, along with her three young sons, confront Joey and Mr H. (Hugo Speer) in Joey’s apartment. The scene is ripe with tension. Anxiety is heightened through both the nuanced performances of the actors, as well as the formal aspects of framing, ratio, and editing creating the uncomfortable sensation of claustrophobia. The chapter erupts in a solitary melodramatic moment of excess, depicting a pathos-ridden Thurman screaming in agony. The success of the emotional burst is solely predicated upon the tension the sequence builds.

The most defiant aspect of “Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1” resides in what can only be described as Von Trier’s manipulation of his detractors. The film could be reduced to pedantic pornography with ease; however, to do so would be a disservice. These aspects of excess, both in gratuitous sexual acts and explicit explanations of symbolic metaphors and intellectual pandering, inhabit a sense of reflexive humor. Von Trier appears to recognize the aspects of his style that critics malign, creating a red herring through their heightened presence. This is especially true with his use of on screen text, deployed to highlight key aspects in the narrative conversation. At face value these techniques almost appear as a cheap ploy. I would argue that what Von Trier has accomplished, like contemporary directors David Lynch and Michael Haneke have also experimented with, is the creation of empty symbolic vessels. Through their apparent easy-to-stomach messages, the techniques actually mask an infinite number of significations. Therefore, often the simpler an aspect of his films appear, the more complex they are. In summation, if you are unable, upon reflection, to procure relevant signification, I do not believe that the film has failed you, but that you have failed the film.