This is not a film directed at your average movie-goer...
willam dafoe and the female actor playing his wife are the only 2 characters on screen for most of the movie.
Expect a lot of crafty cinematography, motion shots, abrupt cuts, vivid dream sequences, and any other cliche you can think of for a movie like this.
Watching it, I couldn't help but compare some of its styles to the movie 'the fountain' with hugh jackman.
There is plenty of wild symbolism, and some pretty intense gore.