Chloé, L'embrasement

Ovidie returns to Marc Dorcel two decades later with her own style of eroticism. With relatively unknown actress Lina Bembe in the title role she explores her sexual desires (after no orgasmic reaction from her husband's lovemaking) in an unusual combination of naturalism and surrealism.

It doesn't conform to porno cliches and nearly-mandatory content: the sex scenes are not shot in an "open up to the camera" format, and the vignette structure (for streaming individual sex scenes) is abandoned.

Instead we follow Lina on her wanderings, often at night, with an unsettling blurring of fantasy and reality. A major setpiece consisting of a lengthy orgy lit as if by a flashlight Lina is carrying is extremely erotic, as Ovidie mixes explicit sex with suggestion of sex, and it is no surprise when it is finally revealed to be a dream sequence.

Bembe is not much of an actress, but lends authenticity and a believable passion (as well as innocence) to her lead role, and the supporting cast spotlights lovely blonde Lucy Heart as well as the prolific Dorcel player Rico Simmons as a night-time pervert.

Dialogue is avoided (replaced by voice-over narration), except for a porno movie excerpt Lina watches on her laptop while masturbating and for an odd scene of old Pierre Moro and beauty Alice Aax demonstrating sex for our inquisitive heroine.

The auteur even manages to fabricate a happy ending.