NYMPHOMANIAC: VOLUME II
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Jamie Bell, Shia LaBeouf, Mia Goth
Director: Lars von Trier
Category: III
Welcome to the dark side. Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac: Volume II picks up where Volume I abruptly left off with a shocking revelation. Continuing the story of Joe, the selfdiagnosed nymphomaniac who refuses to describe herself as a sex addict, it also introduces us to the less savoury parts of the tale.
Local censors cut about 30 seconds from the earlier volume that covered Episodes 1 through 4 of Joe’s outlandish tale. But three times as much has been lopped off this one, which covers Episodes 5 to 8. That goes to show just how transgressive Volume II is compared to the first instalment.
Another discernible difference between the two parts of the four-hour production is that, while Stacy Martin had a substantial amount of screen time in the first part, this concluding portion focuses on the older version of Joe.
Charlotte Gainsbourg appears in the bulk of the flashback scenes as well as those set in the “present day” where she recounts her sexual journey to the bachelor — and, as is revealed early on, also virginal — Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård).
Those who saw Volume I will have predicted that the sex on show in the final entry of the Danish directorwriter’s “Depression” trilogy would not be very erotic. So even when the older Joe decides to venture into more exotic sexual realms, the scenes are not titillating.