A sophisticated and well-to-do Parisienne, daughter of an academic who specialized in the subject of "pain," is drawn to a much younger pretty-boy bisexual hustler, a penny-arcade and workout-gym type of guy. She's drawn to him to the extent of writing out a check for 35,000 francs, no questions asked, to settle his debts, after only one date. We must assume the sex is great, but there's no real evidence of it. There is, on the other hand, a lot of talk -- and not very good talk, at that, often quite absurd talk. The plot takes some unexpected turns if you are not expecting kinky -- if you failed to notice, for instance, that it's adapted from a Yukio Mishima novel. Isabelle Huppert, given the soft-focus treatment, is very discreet, subtle, and expressive, but she cannot fill the void. With Vincent Martinez and Marthe Keller; directed by Benoit Jacquot. (1998) — Duncan Shepherd
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