To Lars von Trier's detriment, his press conference for Antichrist was the morning after the film's raucous press screening — giving journalists just enough time to ratchet up their rage-o-meters and blindside the fedora-wearing Danish auteur.
The presser went downhill pretty much from the start. The very first question — "How can you justify your film" — posed by Baz Bamigboye, a celebrity reporter for a London tabloid, sent the clearly shaken von Trier into defense mode. "I don't think I have to justify the film." To which the celebrity journalist replied, "Yes, you do. This is the Cannes Film Festival, and you've brought your film here, and you have to explain why you made it. Please do so."
Caught off guard and clearly irritated, von Trier said, "I cannot justify myself. Because I make films and I enjoy it very much." Chaos ensued, with Bamigboye yelling something inaudible, leading moderator Henri Behar to calm him down.
"I think it's a very strange question, that I have to justify myself," von Trier continued, "You are all my guests; it's not the other way around. I work for myself, and I do this little film that I'm now kind of fond of, and I haven't done it for you or for an audience so I don't think I owe anyone an explanation."
On how he chose to make this film, he said, "I never have a choice. It's the hand of God. And I am the best film director in the world." The press laughed. "I'm not sure God is the best God in the world." Later, he further extrapolated on his anointment of Best Film Director in the World. "This knowledge I have that I'm the best director. I see it as true. I'm sure other directors may feel the same way, maybe they don't say it. I'm not sure I am, I just think I am. I feel it. There must be a lot of directors I haven't seen films from."
Two artists heavily influence von Trier: Andrei Tarkovsky, to whom the film is dedicated, and August Strindberg. When asked by the Russian press about Tarkovsky, von Trier said, "Now, he's a real God. To me when I saw The Mirror on a small TV set I was in ecstasy. For me, if you talk about religion, this is a religious relationship. He saw my very first film and hated it. I feel close to Tarkovsky. If you dedicate a film to director than nobody will say you steal from him."
Fielding a question about how females are treated in his films, he said, "I'm very close to Strindberg. He loved women very much. And he was investigating into the relationships between man and woman, and I was a great fan of his. I consider Strindberg to be very serious and very funny."
When someone finally asked the question most all who've seen the film want asked — "What were you trying to say with this movie" — von Trier gave the typical auteur response: "I am not trying to say anything [with my film]." He further clarified, "I have been much more clear and mathematical about other films. This was more like a dream."
The close relationship between von Trier and star Willem Dafoe was evident by Dafoe's response to the question about how it was to work on the set. "I enjoy his company. I enjoy his sense of humor," said Dafoe. "He's a great filmmaker and..."
Von Trier cut him off. "The best."
"I have a few other friends, Lars," Dafoe replied, laughing, before continuing about their process. "He really doesn't allow any preparation or rehearsal before you shoot.... After you do that day after day, you soon start to get very flexible and open with impulses, and he's a great filmmaker..."
Again, von Trier mumbled something. "What?" Dafoe asked incredulously. "The best," interrupted Lars.
It seemed co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg wasn't quite as fond of the experience of working with von Trier. "It was very intense, she said. "There wasn't a lot of talking. I knew it was special." When asked by Behar if working on the film was pleasant, she said, "In a weird way...that's the best way to describe [it].
The best question of the press conference was asked by TalkCinema's Harlan Jacobson, and it concerned the hostility of the press and the strategy of reaching worldwide audiences with such a reaction. "It's something I have not thought about," von Trier replied. "I don't believe in thinking 'audience' when making a film. Maybe it will be a catastrophe. I've been treated badly by the press before. I like that." Clearly he does.
[Photos: top, WireImage; film still, Cannes Film Festival]