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Reviews
Trouble Every Day (2001)
Fascinating journey into the exploration of forbidden carnal desires.
Atmospheric Paris is the perfect backdrop for this story of Mr.Brown's(brilliantly played by Vincent Gallo) gradual descent into damnation.
*SPOILERS* Dr.Brown brings his new bride to Paris under the false pretense of a romantic honeymoon.What he is really looking for is a cure for deviant desires that rule his life and sexuality.
In order to protect that new beautiful love, he must hide his true appetites.How long will he be able to suppress his nature?
The camera acts as predator,leading us into a world where we are equally attracted and repulsed.
We are asked to witness incredible horror followed by extreme tenderness. We shudder at the fate of beautiful doe-eyed Mrs.Brown but we also want her to know.
The cast is magnificent:Beatrice Dalle is mesmerizing, Alex Descas, as her enduring husband makes the whole story believable.
This visually stunning dark tale of obsession prompts us to examine very human questions:
*SPOILERS* What happens when you are faced with an extraordinary hunger and lust for human flesh?
What choices will you make in order to keep the sanity and redemption of love in your life?
What is more powerful:true love or true lust?
Souvenirs intimes (1999)
Different take on the thriller genre.
(SPOILERS) The premises of the movie are not new: a rape victim seeks revenge on the perpetrators.The new take on the subject is to concentrate the storyline on the life of (one!) of the rapists instead of showing the ruined life of the victim .
Unfortunately, the characters are not very well drawn psychologically,it would have been interesting to expand on the protection mechanisms the raped woman had to build in order to survive the incident,she is portrayed as someone who has managed to be successful socially and hides her psychopathic tendencies well,yet taunts her abuser in a very childish way.It would have been more effective to make her a would be murderer than a stalker.Her attempts at getting back at her rapist appear childish and pointless at time.After all this is a revenge that had 16 years to mature.
It took me about 5 minutes into the film to realize (MAJOR SPOILER)that yes, indeed, she is the adolescent's long lost mother and that the male protagonist is indeed the father of the child.
There was an avenue that was not explored and that is the extremely incestuous relationship between mother and child.It made sense that the female character would see all relationships through sexually colored lenses.
Thanks to the stellar acting, these shortcomings didn't damp my interest.
There were very lovely scenes in that movie: very human touches such as the relationship between the male protagonist and Laurel's mother as well as his relationship to the mentally challenged young man.
It is a story about forgiveness and redemption more than a story about revenge. I regret the end of the movie,solving everyone's problems,it was an Hollywood ending that didn't fit this interesting movie. I would have been better to let the end open,letting the audience figure out the future of the trio.
Secret Society (2000)
Sweet feel good movie.
I enjoyed the movie on 2 levels: first, because the heroine is really cute without being a dull ingenue or a tacky vamp a la Britney Spears,she has a real life and nothing seems contrived about her character.Secondly, the movie offers the opportunity to see onscreen the kind of self-assured goddesslike beauty that inspires women of many sizes and creed to be themselves and love themselves the way they are. I have to admit that, at first, all I could see was the women's size, yet by the end of the movie, I felt like I had taken a vacation from the oppressive standards of beauty I have to mesure myself to on a daily basis.This is well worth the price of the rental or movie ticket.I personally think the Sumo wrestling theme was the most interesting element of the plot and <SPOILERS> that the subplot about the aliens was completely unnecessary and distracting from the fascinating mystery of the Sumo practice and philosophy. The art design was great: you won't forget the costumes, make up or beautiful sets.