DVD Review - Nathalie
What a pleasure it is to see that there are still films for adults being made. It is too bad that this film had a very short run in New York City and played in only one theater. It came out on DVD right after that run.
Bernard (Gerard Depardieu) is a successful businessman and his wife Catherine (Fanny Ardant) is a gynecologist. They are middle aged and middle class and have been married for a long time. The fire seems to have gone out of their marriage. Catherine plans a surprise birthday party for Bernard but during the party he calls to tell her that he missed his plane and won't be back from his business trip until the following day. After Bernard returns Catherine checks the messages on his cell phone. She finds out that he is having an affair and confronts him with this fact. Bernard admits that once in a while he has sex with someone else but that these affairs are meaningless to him.
Catherine is quite disturbed about this. She wanders into a private club where high class prostitutes service well to do men. It is there she meets the beautiful Marlene (Emmanuelle Beart) and decides to ask her for help. Catherine wants Marlene to pick up Bernard and have an affair with him. Catherine also wants Marlene to report back to her with every detail of what transpires between them. For doing this Marlene will be well paid. As a precaution, Catherine has Marlene use the name Nathalie when she is with Bernard.
After her first meeting with Bernard, Marlene gives Catherine all of the erotic details of their pairing. Each time they meet the sexual details get hotter. Although Marlene is telling Catherine all about her trysts with Bernard this film is not about Marlene and Bernard. It is about the seductive relationship between Catherine and Marlene. I won't say more because I don't want to give away what happens. I will make a comment about a particular scene in the film. In this scene Catherine visits her mother and tells her mother that Bernard is cheating on her. Her mother comments that is not surprising because these things happen. The scene shows how relaxed the French (and Europeans in general) are about sex. They seem to be able to tell the difference between love and sex more easily than their American counterparts.
Anne Fontaine directs the film with great sensitivity and makes all of her characters seem very real. In other hands Marlene's character could have been shown as just some tart out to make a buck. But here we see that she has a day job as a beautician, has friends and likes to roller skate. Screenwriter Jacques Fieschi does a good job of writing a story that is obviously from a woman's point of view. Depardieu does a fine job of conveying hurt and bewilderment. But, the film belongs to the women - Beart and, especially Ardant are splendid in their roles. The film is erotic and, even though I figured out what happens before the film ends, I still found the film suspenseful. A most intriguing film and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see a film that is made for mature audiences only.
Bernard (Gerard Depardieu) is a successful businessman and his wife Catherine (Fanny Ardant) is a gynecologist. They are middle aged and middle class and have been married for a long time. The fire seems to have gone out of their marriage. Catherine plans a surprise birthday party for Bernard but during the party he calls to tell her that he missed his plane and won't be back from his business trip until the following day. After Bernard returns Catherine checks the messages on his cell phone. She finds out that he is having an affair and confronts him with this fact. Bernard admits that once in a while he has sex with someone else but that these affairs are meaningless to him.
Catherine is quite disturbed about this. She wanders into a private club where high class prostitutes service well to do men. It is there she meets the beautiful Marlene (Emmanuelle Beart) and decides to ask her for help. Catherine wants Marlene to pick up Bernard and have an affair with him. Catherine also wants Marlene to report back to her with every detail of what transpires between them. For doing this Marlene will be well paid. As a precaution, Catherine has Marlene use the name Nathalie when she is with Bernard.
After her first meeting with Bernard, Marlene gives Catherine all of the erotic details of their pairing. Each time they meet the sexual details get hotter. Although Marlene is telling Catherine all about her trysts with Bernard this film is not about Marlene and Bernard. It is about the seductive relationship between Catherine and Marlene. I won't say more because I don't want to give away what happens. I will make a comment about a particular scene in the film. In this scene Catherine visits her mother and tells her mother that Bernard is cheating on her. Her mother comments that is not surprising because these things happen. The scene shows how relaxed the French (and Europeans in general) are about sex. They seem to be able to tell the difference between love and sex more easily than their American counterparts.
Anne Fontaine directs the film with great sensitivity and makes all of her characters seem very real. In other hands Marlene's character could have been shown as just some tart out to make a buck. But here we see that she has a day job as a beautician, has friends and likes to roller skate. Screenwriter Jacques Fieschi does a good job of writing a story that is obviously from a woman's point of view. Depardieu does a fine job of conveying hurt and bewilderment. But, the film belongs to the women - Beart and, especially Ardant are splendid in their roles. The film is erotic and, even though I figured out what happens before the film ends, I still found the film suspenseful. A most intriguing film and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see a film that is made for mature audiences only.
posted by Film Fanatic | 7:38 PM
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