Stuffy, British couple Fiona and Nigel Dobson (Kristin Scott Thomas, Hugh Grant) take a cruise to India in an attempt to bring some magic to their overly comfortable marriage. On board they meet sexy, French, femme fatale, Mimi (Emmanuelle Seigner), and her obnoxious, crippled, American husband, Oscar (Peter Coyote), who pick Nigel to hear the story of their sordid lives. Oscar is both repelled by and addicted to the account, mostly because he has become obsessed with Mimi.
Bitter Moon is a great big, twisted tale of love, hate, and death, that signifies far too little. For an investment of 138 minutes of my life, I want something more than a straight-line story with predictable characters.
The film is notorious for perverted content and lurid sex scenes. The only thing that shocked me was the overly sensitive nature of a majority of film critics. Yes, sex is discussed in the film, but we’ve all had sex and know what it is, so this isn’t that breathtaking. (If you haven’t had sex, what are you doing watching this film? Go, now, and get a date.) A few unusual sexual activities are discussed, but nothing that should surprise anyone. As for what is actually shown, it’s not much. Emmanuelle Seigner appears topless multiple times, but that should hardly offend anyone who chooses to see an R-rated film. She’s quite attractive, and seeing her is as exciting as it gets. What I noticed was how prudish the film could be. It would show a bit of skin, and then cut back to Oscar describing the situation instead of showing anything explicit.
Most of the film is a series of flashbacks, told by hack writer Oscar. His speech is filled with clichés and his story is out of a cheap novel, which works considering his stated lack of talent. As he’s also an unpleasant man and a liar, it’s impossible to say how much of his account is true and why he is telling it. Unfortunately, the ending makes nothing of this possible fictional nature and I was left thinking we’re supposed to take the story at face value, which makes it very drab indeed.
Not much happens on the ship, and the little that does makes no sense. Nigel is willing to go to extremes, including drugging his wife (well, encouraging her to overdose) to get a chance to be alone with Mimi. Why? She’s a hot babe, but she’s not much of a siren. She’s unpleasant and insulting, and add in Oscar, and you end up with creepy. I needed to see a whole lot more to convince me that Nigel would chase her.
Hugh Grant plays a version of the priggish character he’s portrayed in better films, and is less believable than usual. Kristin Scott Thomas sells her part of the partly-loved, partly-loving wife, but has little to do. Emmanuelle Seigner is an object of desire. The film belongs to Peter Coyote, and he was closer to annoying than interesting.
So, with no shocks or surprises, slow pacing of a ho-hum plot, and adequately portrayed characters that are unlikely to engage the viewer, what is left of interest? Ms Seigner’s form is not enough to be the basis of a movie, no matter how sensuous she is (besides, this is far from soft-core; no one’s going to get titillated).
Well that leaves theme, and we’ve got theme in abundance. And if it represents co-writer/director Roman Polanski’s views, than I’d suggest Ms Seigner, who is his wife, run away very quickly. Polanski’s had many troubling events in his life (look it up) and I could imagine he’s developed a dark philosophy, but Bitter Moon is a cry for anti-depressants. He suggests love is empty, life is meaningless, people are cruel, and the only thing that will grant you any relief is knowing that some part of you continues.
Socially proper relationships (as personified by Fiona and Nigel) lead to unhappiness since there is nothing there but surface—action without depth. An aberrant lifestyle doesn’t help; it may produce a momentary sense of elation, but the crash is just that much harder for it. There is no communication between partners (everyone talks and hears in the film, but no one says anything meaningful and no one listens). Any activities that don’t involve a partner (writing a book, traveling to India) produce nothing of real value. The voice of hope and wisdom in the film is that of Mr. Singh, an Indian that Fiona and Nigel meet on the ship. He alone is happy, and points out the flaws in their actions (such as the trip to India). So, why is he happy? What is the way out of the horrible trap that is life? Well, his wife is dead (so no more lies about “love”) and he has a child, and children create continuity. There is no reason to think he loves his child; love isn’t the issue. What matters is a connection to the future. Fiona, the most reasonable of the failed characters, feels he is right although she had previously decided not to breed. The way she paws at the child is more obscene than any of the sexual shenanigans. I could see her need.
Bitter Moon uses sex to illuminate the futility of existence. I’m not convinced by his arguments, and was only mildly entertained.