If I see a movie more than once in the theater, it means I really loved it.
That’s why my friend Jack’s response, when I asked him whether he had enjoyed the film “The Last Mistress,” intrigued me. Jack had already seen this film once, and was enthusiastic about watching it again. Naturally, I had assumed he loved the film. Instead, he said he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. “I don’t know if I liked it,” he said, as we headed to the Spectrum in Albany. Contrast that with my response to the people who asked me whether I had enjoyed “The Full Monty,” as I headed to the discount theater in Oberlin, Ohio, to watch it for the third time. “It’s hilarious,” I’d said. “I love it.”
As films go, “The Last Mistress” and “The Full Monty” couldn’t be any more different. “The Full Monty” is a crowd-pleasing comedy about out-of-work steelworkers who redeem themselves by becoming male strippers; it makes you feel like dancing around your living room to great songs like “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate. “The Last Mistress,” on the other hand, is pretty much the opposite of “The Full Monty:” a feel-bad movie that delights in crushing the spirit of its audience. One viewing was enough for me.
“The Last Mistress” is a French film about two people trapped in an unhealthy, obsessive sexual relationship. It’s directed by Catherine Breillat, whose films probe the darker side of sex and sexual gamesmanship. The only other Breillat film I’ve seen is “Fat Girl,” the sexually explicit tale of a 15-year-old girl’s first sexual experience as seen largely through the eyes of her overweight 12-year-old sister. “Fat Girl” is a harrowing film with the sort of in-your-face surprise ending that makes people feel like throwing things at the screen and cursing, but I thought it was pretty well done, given the exploitative subject matter, and contained moments of psychological insight and truth. If nothing else, I admired Breillat’s uncompromising style. Did I enjoy watching “Fat Girl?” No, of course not. I can’t imagine anybody would.
Unlike “Fat Girl,” “The Last Mistress” is a period piece, set in 19th century France, that’s lush and elegant and filled with fancy costumes and other pretty details. The story itself is quite lurid: a young libertine, the dashing but penniless Ryno de Marigny (Fu’ad Ait Aattou, in his film debut), decides to marry, but first must vow never to see his mistress, a fiery Spaniard named Vellini (Asia Argento), ever again. Ryno tells his fiance’s grandmother that he doesn’t love Vellini, and that his decade-long dalliance with her is finally over. The grandmother presses Ryno for details, and he recounts the twists and turns of his passionate affair. She seems impressed with his honesty, and allows the wedding to go forward. And if this weren’t a Catherine Breillat film, maybe everyone would have lived happy ever after.
Instead (SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THIS FILM!) Vellini stalks Ryno and his new wife to their isolated seaside home and hangs around until Ryno simply can’t take it anymore and goes running back into her arms. As viewers, we can see that Ryno really loves his wife, but that he has no control over himself, and how could he? It’s obvious that the nice, innocent girl he married is simply no match for the terrifying Vellini, who seems to exist for no other reason than to ruin Ryno’s one chance at happiness and respectability.
“The Last Mistress” is a technically accomplished film, and it’s always involving. But I’m not sure Breillat is the best director for depicting the passions involved. Her approach to sex is clinical and scientific; as a result, the relationship between Vellini and Ryno often comes across as mechanical and perfunctory, despite a memorable performance from Argento. The last time I saw Argento she was adding a touch of class to the incredibly stupid Vin Diesel movie “XXX,” and it’s nice to see Breillat making use of her unique talents.
Speaking of movies I can watch again and again ...
A deluxe edition of the great Paul Newman movie “Cool Hand Luke” is coming out on DVD today. To read some of my thoughts on this film, click here here.
A special 10th anniversary two-disc edition of the Coen Brothers’ cult comedy “The Big Lebowski” is also coming out on DVD today. “The Big Lebowski” features Jeff Bridges in a great performance as The Dude, a genial fellow whose routine of hanging out at the bowling alley and drinking White Russians is disrupted when he’s mistaken for a wealthy man with the same name, and becomes embroiled in a ransom plot. This is one of my favorite Coen Brothers movies, a quirky, hilarious masterpiece that’s even better if you enjoy bowling.
