A few things to begin with.
I've said it elsewhere, but Gainsbourg is brilliant. It may not only be the best performance I've seen this year, it may be the best of the decade. At the end she is absolutely out of her tree, and it is so great. Defoe... well, any guy could do what he does here, really. It's all about Gainsbourg, all the time.
I didn't find it as shocking as people make out, but I think there's been so much foreshadowing. Yeah, it's not pretty, not in the slightest, but I expected to lose my lunch, and I didn't. I suppose that's why people go to Cannes tho. To have that completely blank experience.
Technically, it's absolutely freakin amayzin. The way it's shot is absolutely great to look at, especially when it gets all foggy towards the end, and even occasionally when the subject is grotesque, it still manages to look gorgeous. The editing is also great, really great. I noticed it most in the beginning, but it was pretty awesome. The music is so atmospheric. The sound design is great. The grade, the lighting, etc etc etc. There were a few moments where it was obvious this was shot on digital, and they were jarring for me, but for the most part you can't tell at all.
Narratively it starts out as kinda boring. But it reaches a point, when they go out to Eden, when it just takes off, and the setup of the first chapter is exposed. I also felt that the strong story helped in "justifying" the gore. I feel like Hostel, for example, is gore for the sake of it. Here, the moments of extreme gore (the drill, the scissors) have a reason within the narrative, beyond just torture. I feel like the money shot especially, whilst totally gratuitous, is really important in the larger themes of the film, and present something really intelligent and interesting.
I'm not sure whether I found it misogynistic or not. I think it's very easy to make that argument, and it's not wrong, but I also suspect that von Trier may be being more pro-feminist than it initially seems. Although the more I think, the more I think I decide it does have an essentially anti-feminist message. It is given a lot of richness tho, and that's what makes it really great.
I can't wait for more people to see this and the discussion to begin. Bring it on.