Comparison between the Short Version and the Long Version, both taken from the French DVD by Wildside Video


- 1 cut
- Cut length: 17:16 min



It took Gaspar Noé eight years before he finished his first full legth feature film after Irreversible. Similar to his previous movies, Enther the Void had its problems reaching a mass market. Due to its radical narrative style, it is Noé's most inaccessible movie.
A DMT trip of the protagonist Oscar is being captured visually astonishing, the flood of explicit sex scenes, violence, reprocessing of a childhood trauma and the question of reincarnation leaves the viewer disturbed. Noé kept the movie quite close to the Tibetian book of the dead, but lastly everybody will probably see something different int the images shown.


Two versions of this film were made, the one called "Long Version" by the director and a shorter one, named "Short Version" here. The background for this is that Noé promised the investors to produce an alternative Version should the final movie be longer than 140 minutes. He solved this problem by simply removing the seventh movie reel. During the removed 17 minutes, nothing essential for the movie's story happens, as he said. However, since it is especially those hallucinatory and impressive sequences that impress the viewer, most people interested in the movie will turn to the longer variant.

Enter the Void was shown in this "Short Version" in the cinemas of some countries, e.g. the US and Great Britain. It looks as if the pending release in the UK will only contain the shorter version, the running time designation for the US DVD also hints at this although the cover features the label "Full Length Director's Cut". We cannot be sure until the 25 of January when it will be released.
Germany and France both are or will blessed with the longer version on DVD after already having shown it in the cinema, the French releases even featuring both editions.

The DVD menu features an additional "Film" submenu, in which the viewer can choose between "Theatrical Version" and "Short Version". (The style is the same flickering as for the rest of the menus)

107:14

The cut starts after the tracking shot to the fetus in the hospital lying in a container.

The Long Version shows a longer additional shot with flickering lights, after a while the shot tracking back reveals a huge model city, in front of which Linda sits on the ground.

The camera continues to track over some roofs, we can then see Alex standing at a small telephone booth.
Featuring small breaks for the chat partner, he says: "No, man, I'm not okay. I'm in deep shit. Look, can you do me a big favour? Can you go to my place and speak to my roommate? Yeah, I need some money. Yeah, he knows where it is. And I need a jacket as well, I'm freezing. Don't call him, you go to my place. I'm sure the police are tapping our phones. Okay, okay, I'll call you later and give you a place for the meeting. Alright, alright, cheers. Ciao."
The camera tracks back and a few astro shots follow.

Alex' housemate can be seen sitting around, holding the "Love Hotel" sign.
He goes to the next room to Linda and another, Japanese, girl. Linda can be heard saying "Mario is just a good fuck. I should have listened to my brother. I should have been with Alex. He really likes him."
The housemate says something in Japanese and Linda asks: "What did he say?"
Girl: "He's okay. Thats all we can say..."

The camera goes back to Alex, who is searching the waste for something to eat.

...and back to his housemate, Linda and the Japanese girl.
The girls undress and play around, he is supplying light effects using two flashlights.

After a few more astro shots the movie continues with a chat between Linda and Mario.

Linda: "Why did you bring me here?"
Mario: "The manager isn't happy with your dance, we can't keep you any more.
Linda: "But what am I gonna do?"
Mario: "I am not your Daddy, but I could take care of you. Are you asleep?"
Linda: "I would have already committed suicide if I didn't have this sensation that Oscar is somewhere around me. I wish he could come back to life..."
Mario: "Stop hurting yourself. I know it's hard to lament. But dead...is dead"

After a tracking shot to Linda's hair and a rather long black screen, a scene in the hospital can be seen. There are several (blurred and with fade-outs) shots of the surgery, then Linda and Alex' housemate can be seen in the corridor.

Linda goes back to Mario's car, Alex' housemate is already sitting in the backseat (probably together with Oscar, the scene is shown from the perspective of the other backseat).
Linda: "That thing is not my brother. He's obviously not like how he was. That thing is fucking disgusting."
Mario: "Shut up! Have you two decided where we going? Have you two decided, where the fuck we going?"
Linda: "There is...there is no way I could put up with him."
A hand from the backseat reaches for Linda's shoulder, she screams: "Don't fucking touch me!"
Mario reacts instantly and hits the person (Oscar?) in the face.
Alex' housemate tries to calm them down on Japanes, Linda is whiny: "Lets get the fuck outta here"

After a black screen we are back in Oscar's perspective, he sleeps in Alex' flat. The housemate shakes him lightly and tells him to wake up. He does this, walks through the room and looks at himself in the mirror.

Following is a scene of Alex at night in a lonely alley, he has made a fire. Alex is painting on the wall - in the course of the scene the writing changes from "I want 2 live" to "I want 2 die". He is talking:
"They burnt you, didn't they? They burnt you, didn't they? They torched you! They torched you, c'mon, think about it. Close your eyes and think about it. If you're lucky, you might find your ashes. Go on, you little cunt! Go on! Close your eyes, think about it! Go on!"
The camera pans to the fire, a burnt head can be seen.

The last scene in the big sequence: A chat between Maria and Linda, she eventually says goodbye to Oscar's remains.

Linda: "I, ah..."
Mario: "What?"
Linda: "I had another dream where my brother resuscitated from the morgue. Isn't it creepy, keeping his remains in that box?"
Mario: "What you gonna do? It's your fucking brother!"
Linda: "Those remains are not my brother."
Mario: "Do what you want."
Linda exits the room and shortly afterwards flushes the remains down the drain, saying "Goodbye". The camera tracks into the drain.Daraufhin geht Linda aus dem Raum und spült kurz darauf die Reste mit dem Kommentar "Goodbye" den Abfluss herunter. Die Kamera fährt in eben diesen herein.

Total length 1036,3 sec (= 17min 16sec)