Carne (1991) User Reviews

Simply interesting

[bylexxx · 8/10 · 2 February 2006]

This was my first Gaspar Noe movie I've watched and I have to say I was shocked. I don't mind gore in generally, but this isn't even gore , it's real butchering. For some of you a couple of scenes may be impossible to see and I mean really disgusting. Leaving aside these aspects, the main ideas revealed here and the dialog are quite brilliant. When you are given a strong argument against bringing a new life into the world and the manner in which it is given, you can't stop and take a minute to think about it. The actors did their job well, representing general masks of a handpick few people found at the bottom of a diseased society. The movie is full of metaphors, but I'll let you figure them out. Don't watch it if you want to have a lite, relaxing time. I recommend this movie to all those of you who want something to think about or simply watch something different of what you find in your average cinema.

Like watching Noe's legacy squeeze out the birth canal & full of sauce

[Stay_away_from_the_Metropol · 8/10 · 3 May 2020]

Well, I just finished watching Gaspar Noe's CARNE (1991), and now I have seen all of his movies. Not as many people know about Carne because it's a 35 minute short film, not a feature length film - BUT, his debut feature film I STAND ALONE is actually a direct continuation of what occurs in CARNE. Though I have known about I STAND ALONE since about 2003, I didn't hear about CARNE until this year. I actually think CARNE is superior to I STAND ALONE - because of the short runtime it's paced very quickly and features more of Gaspar's stylish cutting and editing. It is thoroughly entertaining, while I STAND ALONE is more a slow-burning, icky-feeling build to a wretched climax that will make pretty much everyone feel like they need to take a shower afterwards.

Any way, this movie is very good. Probably one of the best short films I have ever seen. The singular style is turned up to 10. The performances are on point. And the dialogue, subject matter, and some of the visuals are immensely jarring. Though I STAND ALONE is not a movie I would ever recommend to anyone (because of the sickening subject matter), I suggest that for those who are interested, do not watch I STAND ALONE without seeing CARNE first. They should be watched in sequence, just as one should watch something like KILL BILL Vol. 1 and 2.

Now that I've seen all of Gaspar Noe's films... I would rank them in this order...

ENTER THE VOID > IRREVERSIBLE > CLIMAX > CARNE > LOVE > I STAND ALONE

Quick Reviews!!

[malkane316 · 7/10 · 21 February 2005]

The short film which got Gaspar Noe on the movie map, introducing us to his horrific, but thoroughly interesting character The Butcher, played brilliantly by Phillipe Nahon. Noe's direction here has all the hallmarks of his later films, showing he was carving his own voice and style from the beginning. His sudden cutting along with harsh, loud noise, skipping flashbacks and many other techniques all are used to disconcert the viewer. And it certainly works. Also, he is not afraid of showing violence, as viewers of Irreversible will know. Here the violence is equally powerful, and in the sequel Seul Contre Tous, it is almost unbearable.

The film opens with a horse being killed. It is shot in the head, and we watch it writhe on the floor, its pool of blood flowing out. We then see a human birth in all its bloody glory, the daughter of The Butcher. He was orphaned in WWII, and has grown up hating the world, and everyone and everything in it. He serves his customers, but his interior monologue constantly reminds us of his thoughts- he wants them all dead. His daughter Blandine Lenoir, who would also reprise her role six years later, is the only thing he cares about, and we watch them grow older together. She is however mute, and the subject of bullying and toying. The Butcher's relationship with her is almost incestuous, bathing her when she is old enough to do it herself etc,but this is explored more in the next film. When she is attacked by a man, the Butcher explodes with rage, stabbing an innocent man in the mouth. He goes to prison, taken from the only things he wants- his shop and daughter. In the short 40 minutes we see all this and more, his time in prison and release back to his world. Because of his daughter's state, autistic as well i think, she is bland, does little except stare, and is under the full control of her father. The film continues in the exceptionally bleak Seul Contre Tous. If you can, watch these two films, this one first. It has some truly excellent acting, but is very difficult to watch because of the relentless tone.

7 out of 10

Tough to watch, but pretty well done

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 31 July 2015]

"Carne" is a 38-minute movie from almost 25 years ago and the director and writer is Gaspar Noé, who is still pretty known today, mostly for his works after "Carne". I may be a bit biased here because I quite like Philippe Nahon as an actor and he is in almost every scene in this film. He is really good in portraying characters that have a lot of rage ailing under the surface and at some point it explodes and all comes out, like in this situation when he stabs the guy who he thought abused his daughter. Noe and Nahon reunited 7 years later and made a feature film about the same character as in this short film. I really like this feature film and while I have to say this short film was not yet that good, it is still a solid watch, even for a vegetarian like myself with all the butchering scenes. People need to stop being offended so easily by film really. Of course, when people think of Noé, they immediately think of "Irréversible" and the infamous rape scene. However, there is a parallel between that film and this one here. Here also somebody takes very painful revenge for a crime that he suspects somebody did, but it was actually somebody else. Anyway, this was Noé's third short movie and he won quite a few awards here, including a very prestigious honor at Cannes. All in all I recommend it and if you enjoy it, make sure to check out "Seul contre tous".

Disturbing

[qrs_ina · 9/10 · 23 March 2007]

I would say that this film is disturbing. The brutality is depicted in a very sick way, it's like a psychosis in 40 minutes. In the same time, it is a cruel introspection in human behavior. The scenes are ferocious, starting with the butchery of the horse and ending with the brutal sex scene in the kitchen. Every emotion is exploited to extreme, the frustration of the butcher, the love for his daughter almost incestuous, the rage when he finds out she has been abused, every feeling is so natural and so wrong. This film delivers the truth about human nature in a very honest and brutal way. The message of the film is that one's life can change in a second as a consequence of one's behavior and that the most primitive emotions are the most powerful and can determine one's acting. I'd loved the unique manner of filming, the simplicity and the brutality accompanied with the silence in which only inner thoughts pierce through.

Difficult to watch

[Horror_Flick_Fanatic · 7/10 · 3 September 2021]

It's a crazy film with some very difficult scenes to watch. The most shocking to be is when they slaughter a horse. I honestly found those scenes very disturbing. "I Stand Alone" is a sequel to this film with the same actors. Both are good watches but be warned, they will challenge your senses.

No Punches Pulled

[Marco T · 8/10 · 5 August 2001]

This short film certainly pulls no punches. The story is of a butcher who wrongfully kills an innocent man who he believes has sexually molested his retarded daughter. The film goes onto depict how the butcher serves his time, and returns to life with his daughter in care, and having to come to terms with a life with no future.

The graphic opening scenes of a horse being slaughtered, and the full frontal birth of the butchers daughter puts you a brutal frame of mind that stays with you throughout the film.

The snappy flow of the film is very direct and adds to its brutality. Consequently alot of ground is covered in the 40 minutes. You are taken in fully with the butchers non-life - particularly after he loses his daughter to social services and his business. His story continues in the excellent film Seul Contre Tous

Dark, bleak and troubling

[Billiam-4 · 7/10 · 25 November 2021]

A nameless horse butcher, whose wife left him soon after their mute daughter was born, operates his own business while trying to raise the daughter.

Deliberately dark, bleak and troubling drama certainly knows how to bring its audience at unease, but definitely worth a watch.

A useful aperitif for the main course of Seul Contre Tous

[Afracious · 8/10 · 4 December 2000]

This is the forty minute film that introduces us to the character of the Butcher, who will later be examined more thoroughly in the feature Seul Contre Tous. In this film, it follows the early period of his life from 1965-1979, but focusing on the late seventies. The first images are of a slaughter of a horse, then the birth of a baby, the Butcher's daughter, who we quickly see growing up each year. The Butcher (played by Philippe Nahon in both films) is a man bitter with the world. He hates many things. His anger comes to a head when a man assaults his autistic daughter. The Butcher then maims the wrong man, and finds himself in prison.

This film follows the butcher's life to just after his release from prison, then Seul Contre Tous takes over from there. I watched the films the wrong way about, Seul Contre Tous first. Try and watch this little film first if you can.

Meat, sex, violence and corruption... wow, so unexpected from a GASPAR NOE film

[Fernando-Rodrigues · 6/10 · 24 March 2021]

It's the prelude for Seul Contre Tous (1998). It has great speeches, I give the credit for the human psyché approach, but it lacks something... I dunno, I just have this feeling that all of these famous Noe's films are way too overrated. Also, the edition can be a little confusing here at some moments.

Pros and cons

[benjyboom · 5/10 · 3 December 2019]

Never really holds back, not afraid to show controversial footage or themes, even to the detriment of the product. The main character's arc makes sense, and for the most part is well written, starting off on the edge and getting angrier and more violent as he goes. Lacking any strong characters or a well built world, you really just watch it for a character study of someone who has what little warmth inside of him get killed and replaced with hate.