Sightlines · reception
How Only God Forgives was received
2013 · Nicolas Winding Refn · Only God Forgives on Sightlines
The arc
Booed at its Cannes 2013 press screening and savaged as a pretentious non-follow-up to Drive, it has since been steadily reclaimed as one of Refn's purest works — the 'actually, it's his best film' take is now a whole genre of Letterboxd review.
What’s debated
The eternal fight: hypnotic neon tone poem or an empty style-over-substance provocation — usually litigated by people who wanted Drive 2 versus people who insist that's exactly the point.
Its footprint
Gosling's near-silent 'Wanna fight?' became the film's calling-card line, and Kristin Scott Thomas's venomous dinner-table monologue is endlessly clipped and quoted; the neon-drenched Bangkok imagery is a screenshot-aesthetic staple on film Twitter and Tumblr.
Where it stands
A textbook divisive cult object — too hated to be canon, too beautiful to be forgotten — and a reliable litmus test in the 'vibes cinema' conversation.
Did you know? The film is dedicated to Alejandro Jodorowsky, Refn's friend and self-described spiritual mentor — and it was met with audible boos at its first Cannes press screening, which Refn wore as a badge of honor.
Named by the director
- Alejandro Jodorowsky — Refn dedicated the film to him and repeatedly cited him as the guiding influence on its dream-logic, mystical approach to violence.