Gaspar Noé's new film, "Vortex," is sure to make audiences uncomfortable — but not in the way his earlier, outrageous films, "Irréversible," or "Climax," have done. Here, the Argentine-born, France-based filmmaker is depicting the very real and very painful moments in the lives of an elderly couple (Dario Argento and Françoise Lebrun). She suffers from dementia and is on the decline; he too, has health issues.
Noé shoots "Vortex" in split screen, which is not gimmicky, but rather reveals the tragedy when she destroys his work while he is in the shower, or the parallels between father and son, Stéphane (Alex Lutz), who stops by from time to time. Noé films most of "Vortex" inside the very cluttered (almost labyrinthine) home of the couple, which only adds to the feeling of being emotionally overwhelmed.
