There's been discussion about whether there should be sex scenes in movies at all. There are those who claim that they are distracting, offer nothing to further the story and could be skipped and nothing would be missed. Sometimes they are outright obscene. I find myself on the opposing camp. I like my movies controversial, and I think movies shouldn't shy away from subject matter because it is 'risky'. Sex is a part of life, it's emotional and intense and important, so it makes sense that movies would delve into it.
Now 'Love' is a movie that borders on pornography, that's how deeply it delves into the matter of sex. The plentiful sex scenes are reportedly unsimulated - meaning the actors actually really have sex on screen, which is enough for many to label it obscene. And obscene it is. The film is full of depravity, sexual lust, fetishes, and generally morally reprehensible behavior. So if you don't go for that kind of thing, you should steer clear of this movie.
I saw a review of 'Love' calling it pretentious. I don't think the movie is pretentious so much as the main character himself is, spouting off about 2001: A Space Odyssey and how he's going to be a great director. He's not a very respectable person no matter how you look at it. He cheats on his girlfriend and when he has to take responsibility and raise a baby with his hook-up, he constantly pines for his days of fooling around and doing drugs. Actually, he never really stops doing drugs.
The story - and the 'message' - of the movie is about how the young American film-maker idolizes French bohemian sexuality and freedom, but ends up getting sick of too much of it. But it's not a French movie and not an American one. It's simply a Gaspar Noé movie, and it shows. There was barely any script, no guidelines or rules in making the movie. It's the director's movie, completely focused on style and theme, color and composition and rhythm, largely disregarding story and even characterization. There are frequent short 'black-outs' all over the movie, which made me think that my copy was faulty somehow. The movie has a unique flow, it's nonchronological, following the thoughts and memories of a character suffering from a terrible hangover.
I have to make a comparison to 'Blue Is The Warmest Color', which really is a French movie, also has a lengthy running time, and also features a whole lot of sex. That movie was emotional and relatable, it was like a look into a life that was really lived, and despite the controversial lesbian sex scenes it strangely had a lot of innocence in it. 'Love' is like the drug-drenched, depraved, delirious and destructive, nihilistic counterpart to that movie.
Now 'Love' is a movie that borders on pornography, that's how deeply it delves into the matter of sex. The plentiful sex scenes are reportedly unsimulated - meaning the actors actually really have sex on screen, which is enough for many to label it obscene. And obscene it is. The film is full of depravity, sexual lust, fetishes, and generally morally reprehensible behavior. So if you don't go for that kind of thing, you should steer clear of this movie.
I saw a review of 'Love' calling it pretentious. I don't think the movie is pretentious so much as the main character himself is, spouting off about 2001: A Space Odyssey and how he's going to be a great director. He's not a very respectable person no matter how you look at it. He cheats on his girlfriend and when he has to take responsibility and raise a baby with his hook-up, he constantly pines for his days of fooling around and doing drugs. Actually, he never really stops doing drugs.
The story - and the 'message' - of the movie is about how the young American film-maker idolizes French bohemian sexuality and freedom, but ends up getting sick of too much of it. But it's not a French movie and not an American one. It's simply a Gaspar Noé movie, and it shows. There was barely any script, no guidelines or rules in making the movie. It's the director's movie, completely focused on style and theme, color and composition and rhythm, largely disregarding story and even characterization. There are frequent short 'black-outs' all over the movie, which made me think that my copy was faulty somehow. The movie has a unique flow, it's nonchronological, following the thoughts and memories of a character suffering from a terrible hangover.
I have to make a comparison to 'Blue Is The Warmest Color', which really is a French movie, also has a lengthy running time, and also features a whole lot of sex. That movie was emotional and relatable, it was like a look into a life that was really lived, and despite the controversial lesbian sex scenes it strangely had a lot of innocence in it. 'Love' is like the drug-drenched, depraved, delirious and destructive, nihilistic counterpart to that movie.