(1999)
3
Andrea LeVasseur
If ever a film de-eroticized romance, Catherine Breilliat's Romance is the one. A stark, austere portrait of one woman's masochistic sexual journeys, this bizarre drama is best interpreted as a kind of cerebral fantasy. To acknowledge that the events occur in a dream state of philosophical inquiry refuses any kind of literal analysis based on realism. The fact that Marie (Caroline Ducey) is a mere schoolteacher with a bourgeois lifestyle is just one example of the many improbabilities. However, when viewed as a kind of exposed secret diary, Romance becomes a frighteningly honest look inside the mind of a woman questioning her own sexual experiences. Far removed from the posturing and posing of a macho sexual adventurer (male or female), Marie's experiences are emotionally raw and uniquely personal. The explicit nudity and sex scenes are consistently interpreted from Marie's confused perspective, culminating in a fantastic visual construction of the mother/whore paradox. This brutal vulnerability naturally lends itself to unevenness in tone, alternating between wickedly funny absurdities to dangerously sad situations. Even with a tear-stained face, Marie reflects on her position with a critical eye and sharply detached wit. The unexpected ending is a bold act of defiance, with self-destruction eventually leading to the heroine's triumph. While difficult to watch for audiences expecting their titillation needs to be met, Romance remains totally unforgettable, with a shock ending that makes its impact even more brash.
Trailer
cast-crew for Romance on AllMovie
Romance (1999)
