Close your eyes and tell me what you see.' begins the new feature from Lukas Moodysson, who opened our eyes to the disturbing face of the new Europe in Lilya 4-ever. Pushing the boundaries still further, A Hole in My Heart is transgressive, sometimes opaque and deliberately fragmented, sometimes revelatory, frequently shocking. In a grubby, claustrophobic apartment, Rickard, an amateur pornographer, is filming his latest dubious effort 'starring' his friend Geko and Tess, a young woman who says she's wanted to be in pornos since she was twelve. Rickard's painfully withdrawn son Eric stays out of the way, listening to hard-core industrial music and trying to block out what's happening in the room next door. As the filming progresses and the trio lose what few inhibitions they start out with, their behaviour grows more and more disturbing and extreme. Raging against much of modern culture, and laying bare the human capacity for inflicting damage on ourselves and on others, A Hole in My Heart confronts us with images that we would prefer not to see. It also offers moments of respite and even humour, which complicate our response to the characters and to the film itself. Fearless film-making from one of Europe's most significant directors, and undeniably essential viewing.
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