Note that a number of female American high school teachers have been sent to jail for what we are asked to view as a touching love story here. And in fact so many French viewers seem to regard it. For many American viewers, I think it will be hard, today, to view it with such equanamity, even if the (legally) victim here looks beyond his years (and apparently did in the real life case). But then I've met several girls from thirteen to fifteen who looked to be twenty - try making a film about a male teacher having an affair with one of THEM. Basically, if you want to understand why so many French intellectuals think Polanski's rape of a thirteen year old was no big deal, this film will give you some insight. Beyond that, it's a very dry style of filmmmaking, where the strongest passion on all sides seems to be anger. Supposedly these two can't keep away from each other, but there is zero sensuality in their interactions; they seem far more interested in talking about their persecuters than in each other's bodies (meanwhile, one lesbian scene makes it clear the filmmaker is not shy about naked bodies). It's also surprising to suddenly see the teacher concerned about losing custody of her children, whom we never see until late in the film and who don't seem in the least to concern her until legal stirrings raise the issue. When her ex-husband suddenly appears, it is downright jarring. Emotionally, the most powerful moments are with others, not between the two protaganists. Which is to say even if I didn't have moral reservations about the whole premise, I think I'd have trouble caring very much about the main character.
Review of Mourir d'aimer...
