It's always hard to schedule a theme month here on my daily blog. I sometimes do a month of animated fare, and I often try to do all horror throughout October (AKA Halloween month to us horror fans), a whole heap of noir in November (AKA Noirvember), and plenty of sweet and snow-covered goodness throughout December. So I did contemplate whether or not to focus on plenty of LGBTQ+ cinema throughout June for Pride, but I decided against it. Mainly because I watch and review so many films throughout the year that could come under that rainbow-coloured umbrella that I knew I would still find a decent selection to discuss throughout the month. You could say the same about horror movies, of course, but horror has been my life-long obsession, which makes October my time for complete self-indulgence.
Speaking of self-indulgence, writer-director Yann Gonzalez, with help from Rebecca Zlotowski consulting, has crafted a film here that allows the main characters to be as self-indulgent as they like, yet still allows them to navigate the rapid waters of consent, kink, and momentary connections that light up brightly before jumping to someone else, like a fast and ever-moving synapse.
The main premise is very simple. A trio awaits the arrival of the guests due to join them in a happy orgy. That's it. The guests feel as if they have been deliberately chosen to mark off a checklist of sexual preference archetpyes. You have the stallion (Eric Cantona), the youth (Alain-Fabien Delon), the older nymphomaniac (Fabienne Babe), and the young (Julie Brémond). They will all reveal more about themselves as they join in with the evening planned by Ali (Kate Moran), Matthias (Niels Schneider), and their cross-dressing companion, Udo (Nicolas Maury), three hosts who have a hell of a tale to tell about their own journey to this point.
There are a couple of other films that this feels closely related to, but to mention them would spoil some of the enjoyable plot details that are revealed as the full truth unfolds. Let’s just say that this manages to feel both intimate and grandiose, punctuating the moments of frank sexuality with moments describing an enduring love.
The cast all do very well in their roles, although they are all working within the boundaries of their various archetypal roles. Nobody stands out, this is one undulating mass of flesh and erogenous zones, but they all help the film enormously by delivering, and reacting to, dialogue that could have been laughably bad if it was sorely mishandled.
Gonzalez has improved a bit since this impressive feature debut, becoming more daring and confidently transgressive while also delivering some gorgeous visuals, but you can already see his considerable talent here. He makes use of a great ensemble cast to serve up some fantastical fiction that continually dances around moments of unflinching honesty. It’s equally intriguing and endearing.
7/10
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