Sexual Politics

À ma Soeur! (2001) - Breillat

More of a statement than a movie in line with Catherine Breillat's rest of the filmography yet it raises some interesting questions from young women's point of view. Sisters Elena (Roxane Mesquina) and Anais (Anais Reboux) are vacationing with their parents in a small town near the sea. The archetypes are set - Elena, a 15 year old is a slutty, pretty one and Anais, a chubby jealous younger sister. But when it comes to boys, Anais turns out to have a more pragmatic view on things. When Elena is contemplating going all the way with a good looking twenty something Italian boy, Anais declares that she will only have sex with someone she isn't in love with. But naturally, Elena gets all the attention and sharing the room with her sister, Anais tearfully gets to witness her sister banging and all. Is she crying because of jealousy or is she crying for all the girls being coerced to give in even though they didn't want to?

À ma soeur presents a bleak view of male/female relationship. Sexual coercion and pressure tactics are painfully demonstrated by the Italian boy. Sibling dynamics are also examined - disturbing since Breillat has expressed her relationship with her older sister in her other films. The worst possible scenario that could possibly happen to a little girl happens, out of nowhere. It's too cartoon-ish to be taken seriously. I can only take it as a big middle finger to anyone who was expecting anything other than that ending.

Power Game

Abuse of Weakness (2013) - Breillat

Why on earth an intelligent, ballsy woman get herself knowingly conned out of all her money? Based on a real life experience, director Catherine Breillat's Abuse of Weakness poses that question. Always dabbled on sexual power politics in her films, Breillat sets the stage for Maud (Isabelle Huppert), an esteemed film director and a charismatic conman Vilko (Kool Shen). Maud has a stroke one morning in her bed that leaves her paralyzed left half of her body. After a long rehab, she is somewhat back to the way she was. But the usual day-to-day chores becomes tantamount tasks for her. After seeing a TV interview of a thuggish ex-con man Vilko, she immediately decides to cast him in a new psycho-sexual film despite everyone's objections. Vilko, amused by this frail, older woman who doesn't get impressed/intimidated by him and his tall tales, sets out to do what he knows best, charming her to squeeze money out of her. The movie idea is long forgotten. She writes checks upon checks to him as he cites various reasons for these 'advances'. She, in physically vulnerable place but financially has an upper hand, plays out this dangerous power game. Not exactly a sugar mommy, but she enjoys the power she has over the brut. She likes to have him carry her into the car or puts her custom made kinky orthopedic boots on for her. There is a sexual tension, but she doesn't let him have it which is also part of the power game. Things change when she runs out of money.

Abuse of Weakness is endlessly fascinating and delicious and features the most fearless, complex performance of the year by Huppert.

Breillat's Feminism

The Last Mistress (2007) - Breillat

I really dig Catherine Breillat's brand of feminism now. I don't know how much is actually adapted from its source novel by Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, but The Last Mistress is quite opposite from other nineteenth century novels about suffering women in the rigid society. The film is a period piece about a married woman (Asia Argento) being seduced by a handsome young aristocat (Fu'ad Aït Aattou). Then she leaves her old husband, goes through a tumultuous relationship and ends up owning him like a slave.

Argento, at age 32 when the film was made, is a radiant beauty and magnetic force, opposite of Aattou's girly man. She struts around in various ethnic costumes, smoking, whipping, knifing, etc. Her husky voice and evil laughs have more seductive power than ever. The ending was kinda draggy and unfocused. But it's definitely a must for Argento fans.

A Different Kind of Fairy Tale

Sleeping Beauty (2011) - Breillat



Catherine Breillat spins another well known fairy tale into a feminist sexual intrigue. Anastasia is cursed at her birth by a witch, that she will die after pricked by a spindle at age 16. But three good fairies intervene in time and change her fate: she will sleep for a hundred years instead. But when she is 6, Anastasia hits the road and encounters many strange people. And she is on her way to rescue Peter the prince (a childhood friend, older cousin, brother, uncle?) from the ice queen (stand-in for puberty). Now 16 and a hundred years later, Anastasia wakes up in the modern world and flirts with hunky Johan and experiments with homosexuality.

Breillat's second interpretation of the fairy tale trilogy (first Bluebeard and Beauty and the Beast planned), is much more playful and sumptuous (from production design to cinematography) than her previous efforts I've seen by her. Anastasia's journey is fantastic and candy colored. It ends abruptly with the dark undertones of sexual violence (fantasy or otherwise). It's a very intriguing film.