Movie · 2013 · Drama, Mystery · 2h 4m · NR · English
Curator score: 2.5/10 (106.2K ratings)
Forget about love.
Overview
The continuation of Joe's sexually dictated life delves into the darker aspects of her adult life and what led to her being in Seligman's care.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.5/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 59%
Metacritic: 61
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Lars von Trier
Production
Zentropa Entertainments, Zentropa International Köln, Zentropa International France, Zentropa International Sweden, Slot Machine, Caviar
Cast
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Jean-Marc Barr, Jamie Bell, Mia Goth, Michaël Pas, Shanti Roney, Kate Ashfield, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Lien Van De Kelder, Laura Christensen, Caroline Goodall, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Tania Carlin, Maja Arsovic
Curator Review
Verdict
A bleak, confrontational second half that pushes the first film’s confessional structure into harsher, more punitive territory. It has striking performances and a sharp, provocative formal intelligence, but the tonal cruelty and narrative choices will alienate many viewers.
Best for
Viewers interested in transgressive European art cinema
Fans of psychologically abrasive character studies
People who want a provocative, talk-heavy film with formal ambition
Those who appreciated the first volume’s structure and are curious how it lands
Skip if
You want erotic drama that stays sensual rather than punishing
You’re sensitive to sexual violence, degradation, or manipulative cruelty
You prefer clear emotional catharsis or tidy moral framing
You disliked the first volume’s self-conscious, chaptered storytelling
Overview
This volume doubles down on the project’s most divisive qualities: confession as performance, sex as pathology, and storytelling as a trap. It is less playful than the first film and far more severe, with Joe’s life becoming a grim anatomy of compulsion, damage, and self-mythologizing. The result is often fascinating, but also exhausting and intentionally abrasive.
Worth noting
What keeps it alive is the tension between its intellectual design and its emotional ugliness. The film is full of formal wit, literary digressions, and a coldly controlled sense of structure, yet it repeatedly undercuts any chance of comfort. That friction is the point, but it also means the movie can feel like a dare rather than an invitation.
Bottom line
For viewers willing to meet it on those terms, there is real craft here and a memorable central performance. For everyone else, it may feel like a punishing extension of a provocation that has already said its piece.
Top Letterboxd reviews
H (4★) · 2929 likes
The ending was so stupid. The guy was a very supporting charater during her story. He shows consideration and empathy throughout the whole story. It didnt make sense his behavior at the end. It ruins the film as a whole for me.
mia (3★) · 2548 likes
thinking about how shia labeouf got his role because he sent lars von trier his sex tape... that man is insane
Kairit (5★) · 2531 likes
all men are the same
maria (3★) · 1820 likes
lars von trier, you overgrown cockhair, i'm coming for you bitch
Jizzmonkey (3★) · 1390 likes
It's disappointing there are no fly-fishing tips in Volume 2.