(1992)
3
Perry Seibert
Comparable to David Lynch's Blue Velvet, Polanski's adult fairy tale is a parable about loss of innocence. The key to the film is Hugh Grant's Nigel and his relationship with the audience. Grant does a fine job of having the audience win his trust in the early scenes of the film. As Nigel becomes increasingly attracted to the dark tale of marital hell that Peter Coyote's Oscar spins, the audience accepts him as their pathway into this story. His shock and dismay (as well as his growing interest) are supposed to guide the viewer through this very dark comedy. Since Polanski knows viewers have someone to attach to, someone who has morally grounded the picture, he knows he can get away with the erotic, comedic roller-coaster ride that makes up the first half of the film. He shocks, but does not alienate, the viewer. The association the audience feels with Nigel allows Polanski to confront his audience in the film's second half. When the reserved Englishman Nigel, the moral center of the film, decides to take an active role in the erotic games of the nasty American and his sultry French wife, he receives a comeuppance that reveals how unprepared he is for the decision he has made. Assuming the audience still feels sympathetic toward the character, the climax of the film forces the audience to look at their own darkest places. At the end of the film, Nigel and his wife (as well as the audience) must face the new knowledge they have of themselves. The question is, now that they have seen a glimpse of their darkest selves, will they become like the dangerous role models they have just encountered? A dénouement with an Indian child may provide the answer.
Bitter Moon on AllMovie
Bitter Moon (1992)
