Lars Von Trier has made a career out of showing audiences things that are hard to look at. Case and point: he cast Shia Lebeouf in an erotic art film. Well, in case a little bit of naked LeBeouf is not enough for you, Nymphomanic will be a two part experience now, with a VOD release shortly before it goes theatrical. Part One will go On Demand on March 6, 2014 and Part Two will follow a month later on April 3, 2014. The theatrical release dates remain March 21, 2014 for limited and April 18, 2014 for “wide” – whatever that may mean in the context of a Lars Von Trier film.

It’s hard to see the point of any VOD release, other than the fact that more options is a good thing. This is, after all, the age of Netflix. Still, it seems that Von Trier’s primary audiences are the run-down local theater type, a type who appreciates the big screen. At least now you can watch it at home, without making an awkward date out of it, while avoiding the trench coat crowd.

The full press release is below:

NEW YORK (December 5, 2013) – Magnolia Pictures announced today the U.S. release dates for Lars von Trier’s much-anticipated motion picture event, NYMPHOMANIAC, which will be released as two full-length feature films. NYMPHOMANIAC: PART ONE will open in theaters on March 21, 2014, and be available On Demand as of March 6, 2014. NYMPHOMANIAC: PART TWO will open in theaters on April 18, 2014 and be available On Demand as of April 3, 2014.

NYMPHOMANIAC: PART ONE is the story of Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac who is discovered badly beaten in an alley by an older bachelor, Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), who takes her into his home. As he tends to her wounds, she recounts the erotic story of her adolescence and young-adulthood (portrayed in flashback by Stacy Martin). PART ONE also stars Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Connie Nielsen and Udo Kier.

PART TWO picks up with the story of Joe’s adulthood, and stars Jamie Bell, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth and Jean-Marc Barr in addition to Gainsbourg, Skarsgård, Martin and LaBeouf.

NYMPHOMANIAC: PART ONE and NYMPHOMANIAC: PART TWO mark Lars von Trier’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed film, MELANCHOLIA (released by Magnolia in 2011), and is his third consecutive collaboration with Charlotte Gainsbourg. A groundbreaking filmmaker for more than two decades, von Trier’s other films credits include ANTICHRIST, DOGVILLE, DANCER IN THE DARK, and BREAKING THE WAVES. NYMPHOMANIAC is produced by Louise Vesth for Zentropa Entertainments.

As widely reported, the films contain graphic depictions of sexuality to a degree unprecedented in a mainstream feature film. After von Trier’s experience at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where he was harshly criticized for comments he made at the MELANCHOLIA press conference, he has vowed to cease doing press on behalf of his films and let them speak for themselves. Both films will have their international debut in Denmark, where they’re opening this Christmas Day.

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