Another frank depiction of sexual obsession from Breillat which, despite several instances of full frontal nudity, is not particularly graphic until a short orgy sequence in the film's latter stages. While the film is rather long and talky, it is also surprisingly compelling, aided considerably by its two excellent central performances, particularly Isabelle Renauld's; its semi-documentary/flashback framework, then, leads to a shocking, inevitable finale. Having a relationship with a beautiful, mature woman is every young man's dream and, for a while, Francis Renaud lives it but before long, his unwillingness to let go of his chauvinistic male friends (who are prone to graphically describe their sexual prowess in front of his female companion) and seriously commit to his relationship is too heavy a burden for them both; ironically, it is Renaud's attempt at taking on the role of father-figure (by taking an interest in Renauld's teenage girl) which triggers off the differences between them and which keep escalating as the film goes along. Out of the three films I've watched so far from this interesting and controversial French film-maker, this is certainly the best so far and I'm looking forward to catching more of her work in the future. Luckily, I've managed to convince my pal at the local DVD rental store to add the Criterion DVD edition of Breillat's A' MA SOEUR! (2001) to his already impressive library...
