"Sauvage" or "Savage" is a new French movie from 2018 and the first full feature filmmaking effort for writer and director Camille Vidal-Naquet. It runs for almost 100 minutes and is from start to finish a showpiece for lead actor Félix Maritaud, who is in almost every scene this film has to offer. Looking at the critical reception and awards recognition, this film is definitely a success. But it is also very sexual and very violent, very graphic too, also both taken together, so it may not be that easy to stomach for some more sensitive audience members. But if they manage to, then you're in for a good watch here as it is a solid character study and fits in kinda well too with what is going on in France right now in terms of what some people have to do to make a living, even if the main character only seems to be suffering occasionally. By the way, with some of the contents I found it interesting that this film was made by a woman. Anyway, let me start with one scene from very early on when you only think for a while the main character is seeing an actual doctor, maybe the somewhat comedic highlight here that stays in the mind though as you think back to it and wonder if it's real this time when he sees another doctor later on. It is not just a film about homosexual prostitution, but also about friendship as our anti-hero here has two close friends on different occasions in the film, one who seems to like, but not really understand him and when he gets in trouble again and again for helping his weaker friend, the main character, he removes himself from said friendship. And the other one is really just one who makes use of the protagonist as he needs a partner in crime. Nothing else to add there. i also found it interesting how different the, lets call them clients, were. Some just lack affection and love after their partner died, while other are all about sexual pleasure the way you'd think it is most of thime and then there's even other who really enjoy humiliation in a sadistic manner already in the one scene that may be most difficult to stomach. So there's no holds barred in this movie. It is very raw, very brutal, but also rewarding if you manage to sit through it. And the ending is also fitting really in terms of a character study. He has his chance to get out of the spiral. But will he choose love? Is it love even? It is really difficult to believe with how he treates the man who really seems to feel for him earlier. Or is it just a self defense mechanism? It is all open to interpretation, but I liked it, even if I feel it could have been a better ending the moment he steps into the car with that infected musician and thais would have been at least as tragic as an ending. It's really not surprising you aren't getting a happy ending here. And it is absolutely right as it just would have gone against pretty much everything before that. The main character is very tragic without a doubt. Will he find happiness? Not in this movie for sure. Thumbs up for Maritaud, Vidal-Naquet and everybody else working on this project. I recommend checking it out as it is one of the better, but not best 2018 films from France, my favorite filmmaking country. Maybe especially go for this one if you liked Stranger by the Lake, even if the latter is certainly still superior compared to this one here, but not because this one is bad or anything, but because SbtL is just really really good, especially the ending.
Review of Sauvage / Wild
