Die sexuellen Geheimnisse einer Familie

'Sexual Chronicles of a French Family', to give it its English-language title, pretty much does what it says on the tin! Members of a French family - including granddad - have sex. It all kicks off when the youngest son is suspended from school for masturbating in class, and while he mopes around the house his parents have sex, his sister has sex (with her boyfriend, often al fresco), his older brother has sex (as part of a threesome) and his grandfather has sex (with his long-term prostitute, who becomes a friend of the family). There's not much of a plot; just a lot of talk, and sex. Thankfully most of the sex scenes are between people whom you actually want to see naked (father and grandfather excepted - sorry chaps!) and it is interesting that although the older brother eventually decides he is homosexual, there's no explicit man-on-man action to match the heterosexual sex scenes, even in the two-men, one-woman threesome scenes.

The version of this I saw at the 2012 Edinburgh Film Festival shied away from full-frontal shots, but it's erections galore in the German cut ('Frankreich Privat Die Sexuellen Geheimnisse einer Familie', in case anyone feels like hitting Amazon.de!)

The story is simple, just a cross-section of an everyday family with very real sexual scenarios. I was stunned to see such great acting in a cast readily open to perform explicit sex acts. Romain's, the recently turned 18 male lead, very real awkwardness is cringe-worthy and forced out of me an embarrassed laugh. All the actor's chemistry with each other was perfect, I couldn't imagine it done better, because it didn't need to be done better.

The film is careful to steer clear of pornographic style and only shows a minimum of explicit acts while remaining so real you may as well be there with them.

I'm not giving it a ten only because I felt it didn't challenge me enough as a viewer. Although, If you're on the more reserved side towards sexual expression this may be a very challenging viewing indeed. *side note: Some characters aren't given much development though, but I think too much complexity might detract from the film's simple journey.

Highly recommended film

Trust the French to make thoughtful, explicit, ground-breaking cinema. SEXUAL CHRONICLES OF A FRENCH FAMILY is, as the title would suggest, a comic drama about the sex lives of three generations of a close-knit French family, and the various mini-dramas that arise from each. The controversial thing about it is that the sex scenes - and there are plenty of them - are real.

In fact, the sex is presented in such an ordinary, matter of fact way, that this is hardly pornographic. It's almost like a documentary in places. The actors, who have no inhibitions whatsoever, happen to be very realistic in their various parts and the way their different lives intertwine is well achieved. Watch out for THE RETURNED's Pierre Perrier, who has a last scene cameo.

One might say and/or think that strokes is quite the innuendo here. And if you watch the explicit cut of the movie (there is a softer version available of this), you would be excused for calling it a pun. Having said all that, this is quite the family. If you try to be open minded (if you aren't already or maybe your family is close to this anyway), you will get a story of how (not) to raise your kids. And how to grow up, how to communicate ... actually as this is one example of how things can go down, you can imagine that this is not a blueprint. Nor for or against anything shown here.

As said, some might want to try the softer version, if you don't want to see certain things. Funnily enough both versions are rated 16 in Germany. Which I guess says something about how sex is being seen and appreciated (or marginalized). Again it is always a matter of perspective and how you have grown up, what you have been taught. So don't blame the movie for certain things it depicts or the fact that almost everyone is beautiful (although I've been told I'm too nice in certain regards, so you may have other beauty values yourself). French cinema over the last decades has gone nude ... not all of it, but they seem to like the theme and they don't shy away - provoking much? Maybe, but there comes a point (no pun intended), where it is almost normal, yes? Is that good or bad? Who am I to judge?

What is interesting is the description of the sexual life of a whole french family living nowadays : from the young teenager who makes love for the first time with her girlfriend, to his grandfather who lost his wife and makes love with a young prostitute.

I found the description rather credible and realistic, all the actors are good.

I saw the uncensored version which is quite less explicit than many other mainstream movies with explicit sex scenes (like "9 songs" for instance). The DVD issue is more explicit, but most of the versions shown in movie theatre are censored (and rated for a public above 12 in France).

the sex scenes are relevant, they are linked to the story and they are neither gratuitous nor vulgar, I think.