Sunday 19 February 2012

House of Tolerance



This French language film by Bertrand Bonello, is set in a Parisian brothel, a ‘house of tolerance’, at the turn of the 20th century. Trailers would have you believe it’s a beautiful portrayal of the inner workings of such a house, but from the outset it is clear that this is not going to be the case. Although visually stunning, the more the film goes on the more the facade is lifted to reveal a darker truth of constant fear of pregnancy, syphilis or violence masked behind the corsets, perfume and endless grooming.
The film begins in the late 1800s depicting a single fateful night where Madeleine is re-telling a dream to one of her regulars, in which he presented her with an emerald with which to pay her debts and buy her freedom. The lingering hope she had felt after the dream results in her allowing him to tie her up and be caressed by his knife, what follows is gently threatening until the blade enters her mouth and is used to slash her a smile from ear to ear. This haunting scene is flashed intermittently between scenes of the relaxed champagne-filled atmosphere of the party downstairs. Time then moves on to when the once highly sought after Madeleine has become the cook, cleaner and general carer of the remaining beauties, while her injury and clients have rebranded her “the woman who laughs”. Meanwhile the landlord is demanding an increase in the rent of the premises and the madam, a voluptuous and previous worker of the floor herself, is pushed to find ways to either appeal to his better nature or make up the difference. The former is tried and fails resulting in her harsher treatment of the girls and demand an increase in the amount of clients they can attend to in one evening. At the same time a young girl writes to her in order to secure a position at the prestigious maison de tolerance, entering with no debt the 15-year old takes great risk in starting such a career. Her youth and novelty make her a welcome addition among the usual clients, especially those slightly weary with their regular ladies and although welcomed into the bosom of the family they have created for themselves, she is not quite what she appears.

Times get even harder when one girl falls to syphilis and another to addiction, in desperate need of money the madam is persuaded to “lend” the laughing lady to a host of obscure parties where she is showcased alongside dwarfs and people with more unusual features and their admirers. The efforts are made to no avail and the house is forced to close, bowing out in style, the penultimate scene is that of their final party, a Bastille Day masquerade ball where everything is on the house.
It’s not an easy film to watch in places and the stark parallels it draws between the belle époque and modern day are haunting and as hard to shake as the flashing scenes of the creation of the woman who laughs. It is truly thought-provoking and ultimately a tale of formulating families in the most unlikely of places in order to survive.

Monday 13 February 2012

Tomboy


Tomboy is the 2011 queer-themed French language film from Céline Sciamma, the director and writer of the 2008 film, Water Lilies. However, Tomboy’s 10-year old main character Laure, tenderly portrayed by Zoé Héran, faces a personal battle with gender as opposed to that of sexuality as in Water Lilies. The film received critical acclaim last year, winning many awards including the Audience Award at the San Francisco Frameline Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

After moving to a new apartment in a suburb of Paris with her father, heavily pregnant mother and wonderfully mischievous little sister, Jeanne, the film follows Laure as she ventures out in search of new friends. The first face she sees is that of potential love interest, Lisa, to whom she introduces herself to as a boy named Michaël. Instantly captivated, Lisa introduces Michaël to the other neighbourhood boys forcing them to include the sandy-haired newcomer in their games. What follows is a truly enchanting tale of the innocence of childhood and a desire to be accepted for who you are and not who you feel you should be. Set against the back drop of endless hot summer days, the whole film is littered with beautifully poignant scenes including the fashioning of a fake bulge for a swimming trip, and secret squatting in the woods while the other boys pee proudly upright.

The life Michaël has created for himself is soon jeopardised when little Jeanne wants in on the daily adventures, however, in his younger sibling he finds a willing accomplice and the pair share the secret. As the new school year fast approaches and a fight within the group causes a neighbour to pay a visit to Laure’s mother, the truth is inevitably revealed. Laure’s eventual “outing” is cruel in a way that only kids can be with the final blow (Michaël’s trousers being pulled down) being dealt by the one he trusted most, Lisa, hurt from the ridicule she has also received. Don’t be put off though, the film is ultimately uplifting when the story returns to its beginning with a slightly remorseful Lisa asking, for the second time: “What’s your name?”.

The simplistic cinematography reflects the freedom of the group of children that the film is centred on with the French sun almost melting from the screen. By the end of the film you’ll be filled with a sense of nostalgia and a wish to return to a time when everything seemed simpler and before opinions were marred with prejudices. Worth watching when you’re feeling at odds with the world.