(2003)
2.5
Craig Butler
The films of Catherine Breillat tend to be challenging and unrelentingly personal, and Anatomy of Hell is no exception. Breillat's films often divide the audience into those who love them and those who hate them, but Anatomy is unlikely to find many lovers. It's not just because it dares to ask difficult questions, dares to be unpleasant, dares to be shocking; it's because it dares to be boring, dares to provide too little depth for its probing. It also doesn't help that there's no real humanity here; it's all artificial. Real people don't speak the way these characters do and certainly don't act the way they do. Stylization as a defense only goes so far, and it can't do the job in Anatomy. As a result, one grows irritated at the pretentious dialogue the leads spout and even when one is intrigued by an idea put forth by them, one loses interest because it either simply lays there or gets drowned by further inhuman mouthings. It all becomes tedious rather quickly. Amira Casar does as well as can be expected as The Woman; she has the unenviable task of not only speaking unspeakable dialogue but of having to inhabit a character that is bored with life, and it is to her credit that she pulls both tricks off so well. Rocco Siffredi fares less well dramatically, although it is clear that the porn star's physical attributes are the real reason for his inclusion in Anatomy. Speaking of which, it must be made clear that there is a considerable amount of nudity, as well as a surfeit of sexual situations. It may sound titillating, but those coming to Anatomy for its sensuality should be advised that there is nothing remotely erotic about what occurs.
Anatomy of Hell on AllMovie
Anatomy of Hell (2003)
