Wow, I actually liked a Breillat film! This film was able to be completely focused on relationships without feeling forced like in the other films of hers that I have seen. The film is essentially made up of three scenes, two long conversations and then a seen of ‘romance.’ This latter scene was superior to every other such scene that I have seen from Breillat because it never goes over the top. I’ve previously had the feeling that Breillat draws out her sex scenes and makes them gratuitously graphic. Here, though, She shows only what needs to be shown, and the entire scene not only feels natural to the story, but essential. This film’s purpose is to detail the different perspectives that different sexes and generations have on being in a relationship. All of the film’s energy is spent on this topic, and the end result is pretty compelling, and in the end actually poignant. The only, fortunately brief, Breillat-indulgence that I detected in the film was the old man who wanted to court Thomas (the boy in the film) when he asked if he could take the unused chair from his table. I actually thought it was a funny moment, but it reminded me that everyone in Breillat’s universe seems to think about sex 24/7 and is constantly trying to mate with anyone who is breathing.
Sarah Pratt is perfect in the film as Alice. She reminded me quite a bit of Isabelle Huppert and Julianne Moore, both in her appearance and with her ability to be simultaneously soft and stern. Her role in the film as Alice seemed to be very difficult to pull off, as she has to believably come off as a woman who has just left her husband, is drawn to ‘rough’ men, and is falling for a ‘charming’ underaged boy (The Julianne Moore comparison is especially apt because of the character similarities with Moore’s recent Savage Grace). Gilles Guillain as Thomas wasn’t bad, but I thought he played him as a bit too suave and confident given his age and supposed inexperience.
One problem that I have been having with Breillat is that she casts attractive people as her leads (except for Fat Girl, in which she appropriately went to the completely opposite end of the spectrum and cast an obese girl (in addition to the attractive rest of the cast)). This film does nothing to alleviate that trend. Breillat is trying to make portraits of human sexuality and relationships with her films, and it is my understanding that she aims for the sex scenes to support her ideas for each film without being erotic or stimulating. But it is difficult for me to take this seriously when she casts actors who seem to be hired from modeling agencies. I have not seen her entire oeuvre, so I cannot speak for any discrepancies to this trait.