L'École de la chair (1998)
Directed by Benoît Jacquot

Film Review

L'École de la chair is an unsentimental, refreshingly honest portrayal of two people's quest for emotional and sexual fulfilment.  One the one hand, there is the career woman, Dominique, who is divorced, apparently has little time for men, but is clearly longing for some rough trade.  Then there is Quentin, the promiscuous bisexual layabout, who is barely out of his teens and thinks about nothing but sex and arcade games.  They meet by chance and are instantly drawn to one another.  They are complete opposites, having nothing in common at all except a dangerous craving for sexual adventure.

A lesser film would have stuck with this theme and kept love well out of the picture.  This film doesn't quite do that - love is allowed to surface, but in a deliberately slow and subtle way.  In a surprising role reversal, it is Quentin, the hedonist, who finds himself emotionally dependent on Dominique.  By the time he realises this, it is too late.  Dominique has burnt her bridges and moved on to her next project.

This conflict between physical desire and the need for companionship and emotional love provides the film with a feeling of depth and believability that is often lacking in films that tackle this subject.  The film's success is due in part to the quality of the script and directing, but mainly it is down to some excellent performances from Isabelle Huppert and Vincent Martinez.

Huppert's acting has matured with her age, and here she is captivating.  Beneath an icy cold façade, she allows us to glimpse - fleetingly - a vulnerable, emotionally traumatised persona, enabling us to understand her character's state of mind and her apparently strange behaviour.   She is well matched with Vincent Martinez who, though less experienced as an actor than Huppert, shows a surprising maturity and understanding of his character.  The two actors have a natural chemistry - in spite of their clear differences (particularly in age and social milieu).  As a result, their characters in this film appear to be engaged in a romantic tussle which has the intimacy and volatility of an all-out boxing match.

Film Synopsis

Dominique is  respectable middle-aged woman who runs a fashion house.  She meets Quentin, a promiscuous young man who works in a gay bar.  They end up in bed together and thus starts a faltering relationship. Dominique pays off Quetin's debts, lets him move in with her, but Quentin still wants to pursue his hedonistic lifestyle…