MovieChat Forums > Enter the Void (2010) Discussion > What's up with the Glowing Phallus?

What's up with the Glowing Phallus?

posted 12 years ago by CocksureBurns
18 replies | jump to latest

I agree that this is a film like no other. Particularly the Point Of View of the audience through the eyes of the protagonist, complete with the screen going black while the 'viewer' blinks! The camera floating above (and connecting) rooms and neighborhoods was interesting, if perhaps overused. The overdone sex didn't further the plot, and in some instances was harder to watch than the violence.

"put on your shades baby, this boy blinds like a street lamp"
For a movie all about Procreation, Life, Death and Reincarnation, scenes of sex, birth, death and disembodied spirit fit right in; but what was up with the penis that glowed like a light-sabre? It might make sense in the Love Hotel sex scene as it may symbolize procreation, but why the 200-watt dick during the elevator BJ? It feels like the director couldn't resist utilizing a cool effect for its own sake. Anybody out there have any thoughts on this (maybe even amusing)? Perhaps these were shiny new, first time out-of-the-box tools. Or the iPhone in his pants was set on Lantern?
It's a minor detail, but begs some questioning. I've not seen this discussed.

All in all, despite my petty gripes, this is a film worth seeing at least once.

- As the Buddhist said to the hot dog vender, "Make me One with Everything" -

[–] LisaNL 10 years ago

If Oscar is experiencing what the book of death describes, in those scenes he is in the stage where he sees lights and is going to reincarnate. Alex told him you reincarnate by following one of those lights and you keep reincarnating until you somehow break the circle. The guy's dick is glowing but also Alex and Linda are glowing while they're having sex. I think Oscar could have chosen to follow the light of the guy's dick to break the circle so he would just disappear or whatever, because Victor is obviously not going to get pregnant. But he chose to follow Linda's and Alex's light so he could reincarnate as their child and be with Linda forever, like he promised.
And if that's what happens, it's kind of a big deal that he did that, because the way Alex told it, it doesn't seem like you get a chance to break the circle very often.

[–] CocksureBurns 10 years ago

LisaNL, (does NL=Nederlands?)

Oscar could have chosen to follow the light of the guy's dick to break the circle so he would just disappear... But he chose to follow Linda's and Alex's light so he could reincarnate as their child and be with Linda forever, like he promised

I love your explanation! For me, this seems to be the right idea. It makes me look at this anew. This is exactly the kind of response I had hoped for when I first made this query nearly two years ago.
Thank you Lisa, for stretching my brain. Very cool, indeed!

"What's so funny about Peace, Love and Understanding?"

[–] LisaNL 10 years ago

Oh, cool! I didn't think you would read this after two years, or that you would still care. But you're welcome :)
And yes, NL = Nederlands.

[–] geenmensiseeneiland 9 years ago

I love that idea, Lisa. Never thought of it that way.

[–] eolloe 9 years ago

At the beginning of the film, when Alex and Oscar are discussing the Book of the Dead, Alex mentions that the soul(?) of the person who has died but has not yet left the realm of the living will witness people having sex with bright lights coming from their bodies during the act.