Nymphomaniac: Volume II

Sinister flashes occasionally popped up in Nymphomaniac: Volume I, the origin story of a sex addict named Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who spent the duration playing mental tag with Seligman, a newfound confidant (Stellan Skarsgård). Still, the first chapter of Lars von Trier’s epic mostly kept things tender, leaning on poignant anecdotes about nature and memory that made Joe’s hazy remembrance a melancholy experience. Unfortunately, this foundation of calm proves itself to be a lie.

Not surprisingly, Volume II devours any such romanticism almost immediately. Picking up where its predecessor left off, the brutal second chapter begins with not-so-happy couple Joe and Jerôme (Shia LeBeouf ) attempting to live a normal existence. She’s given up sleeping with countless men, and he’s suffering mightily to satisfy her carnal urges. Joe loses the ability to feel any sort of sexual experience.

The pain becomes so great that Joe begins flirting with risky ways to jumpstart her libido and opts for visits to K (Jamie Bell), a specialist in sadomasochism.

In one of the film’s most uncomfortable scenes, the two embark on a “therapy” session that explores the complicated nature of control when it comes to sex. Eventually, Joe abandons all sense of normalcy, leaving her husband and young child behind.

In Volume II’s latter half, Joe ends up working for a suspicious debt collector named L (Willem Dafoe). Here, violence replaces sex as Joe’s key opiate. This venture allows her to spawn a separate extortion business that becomes successful, leading Joe to befriend another young castoff named P (Mia Goth). This one fateful decision eventually leads Joe, beaten and bruised, into the arms of Seligman.

The key to understanding the tonal differences between Volume I and Volume II is how sexuality relates to both chapters. In the first, Joe’s experimentation reflects a naïve world view, but one that’s hopeful. As played by Stacy Martin, the character glows with reverie for epiphany, even when reality crushes it. Gainsbourg’s incarnation is more devastating, exuding numbness to whatever terrible proceedings take place.

Volume II’s harrowing final scene makes this question even more complicated, dismantling all the good will and humanity of the previous four hours in one daring act of self-preservation. What’s next is just more of the same.

Nymphomaniac: Volume II (2½) Directed by Lars von Trier • Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jamie Bell, Willem Dafoe • Not Rated • 123 min. • At Osio Cinemas