Rounding out what should have been a singular experience, "Nymphomaniac Vol. 2" picks up right where the first one left off. Highlighting Joe as an older, more mature woman, the movie is not as entertaining as the first half but it may stand to be the more impactful volume.
Keeping up with the theme of metaphors, "Vol. 2" begins with a philosophical debate of sorts as Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard) explains the division of the Christian Church into East and West. The Roman Catholic Church (West) is described as being focused on punishment and suffering whereas the Eastern Orthodox Church is simply described as the church of happiness. This story coincides nicely with Joe's recollection of her first (and only) marriage (to Jerome) and the birth of their only child. For a single moment in her life, Joe was truly content, and her little family, for all intents and purposes, was her Eastern Church.
As expected, her marriage soon begins to deteriorate in the wake of Joe losing all feeling in her genitals, rendering sex useless. In a fit of frustration, Joe recruits the help of what can best be described as a male dominatrix. She soon enters into a regimented course of treatment akin to the Spanish Inquisition, which finds her being tied up and beaten. Upon leaving their son at home alone to go to one of her sessions, Jerome takes their child and vacates, thereby concluding Joe's Western Church story.
Joe is relegated to zero contact with Jerome, working as a glorified thumb-breaker to afford monthly child care payments. She recruits a troubled youth who soon becomes her protege, but much like everything in Joe's life, their relationship falls apart suddenly. This proverbial last straw in Joe's life sets forth a final sequence of events each more troubling than the last. The jaw-dropping final scene brings us full circle to where we began the story in "Vol. 1," the process of which is unrelenting but ultimately fulfilling in its finality. Seligman and Joe are intertwined in a way that could only end terribly, and the final blow is crushing, especially after witnessing the relationship they've established.
Lars von Trier makes a point to put the emphasis on depression in the second volume. Whereas "Vol. 1" is darkly funny, "Vol. 2" acts as the brooding and depressing counterpart. Having seen both parts separately, I can't help but wish the movie had remained intact. There is certainly a division of storylines, but when combined, the film is brilliantly composed. Unfortunately, "Vol. 2" is hindered the most by the separation. The final sequence is only as powerful as the buildup, and the film is prevented from building up efficiently to its climax by having been released in two parts.
Nevertheless, "Nymphomaniac" is highly enjoyable as a whole, just not as an unnecessary two-part puzzle. Lars von Trier has built a "Depression Trilogy" truly worthy of its title. "Nymphomaniac" stands to be the most entertaining and, ultimately, the most commercially accessible of the bunch — or as commercially accessible as a banned, unrated movie could stand to be.