It’s double your pleasure, as Magnolia Pictures said Thursday that is plans to release Lars von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac” as two full-length feature films.
The first, imaginatively entitled “Nymphomanic: Part One,” will open in theaters on March 21, 2014, but will debut weeks earlier on video on demand on March 6, 2014.
See photos: O-Faces Abound in New ‘Nymphomaniac’ Posters: Shia LeBeouf, Uma Thurman, Jamie Bell
“Nymphomaniac: Part Two” will follow a similar strategy of debuting first on demand. It will open in theaters on April 18, 2014 and be available on VOD as of April 3, 2014.
The picture follows a self-diagnosed sex addict (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who is discovered beaten in an alley by an older bachelor (Stellan Skarsgård). As he helps her recover from the trauma, she shares stories of her erotic exploits with a host of notables played by such actors as Shia LaBeouf, and Jamie Bell.
LaBeouf, Christian Slater and Uma Thurman will all appear in part one, while part two will pick up with Bell, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth and Jean-Marc Barr.
The films contain graphic depictions of sex that Magnolia claims is “unprecedented” outside the realm of stuff you can find on the internet with a few clicks of the cursor. Based on the trailers, the Danish auteur’s two films are more interested in character and atmosphere than titillation. Indeed, the promotional material is about as erotic as Gonorrhea PSAs.
See video: ‘Nymphomaniac’ First Full Trailer: Lots of Sex, a Hint of Drama
Both films will have their international debut in Denmark, where they’re opening this Christmas Day.
Von Trier, a giant in European cinema, has a range of controversial and acclaimed films to his credit, including “Breaking the Waves,” “Dancer in the Dark” and “Dogville.”