À mon seul désir

It is immediately apparent to people trained on American movies that something is really wrong with this film. Girls are unashamedly exploring their sexual freedom and desire, they profit from it, grow as people, love each other and themselves and nothing terrible happens to them in the end. Is that even possible? Isn't being young and sexual and beautiful the ultimate sin that needs divine punishment?

Luckily, this is a French film and it explores the lives of strippers and occasionally sex workers in a benign and wondrously exploratory way. The girls are beautiful and there is lots of nudity, but I didn't feel like it was exploitative. In the end it is a love story on the background of navigating your own desires and needs. Refreshing.

I must admit to being slightly confused as to what I really feel about this. Overall, I think it works well as an insight into a generally peer-supportive community of sex workers, within which it explores a range of scenarios - some cliched, some not. However, I do wonder whether (as a man) I'm seeing a somewhat-sanitised and "male fantasy" version of this world that, in reality, is a lot harsher? I'm really not sure.

Therefore, taken at face value and believing that Manon / Aurore really is OK with this and all it implies, I think that the exploration of her romantic feelings as separate from her "business dealings" is quite well done - and the nightclub as pictured looks quite fun (certainly much more so than the dreary and unerotic example in Egoyan's dreadful "Exotica").

Worth a look.

A hugely satisfying experience from start to finish, My Sole Desire weaves a lot of artistry throughout what could have easily just been a sweaty and stain-covered mess of tired tropes and exploitation. Kudos to Borleteau, and all of her collaborators, for producing something far removed from that. This is, in fact, quite brilliant, and it's just as equally about love and friendship as it is about sex and dancing

... this from the only critic-review in English (read-it it's quite good).. a very adept concise summary of this wonderful little film... it'll well hold up to repeated viewings, its emotions genuine, acting superb, and production-values-remarkable.. these kinds of films are rarely as exceptional ... agree with the sentiment, thanks-bravo to all involved in its creation.

My Sole Desire takes you on a journey about a woman's desire to find her identity and she goes down a dark path but as this is french cinema it is actually done tastefully.

Not only are you on a path of self-discovery, but you are also going on a journey about love.

I found this on SBS on Demand in Australia, free to stream and watch.

Although this is done tastefully, do not take this to be the norm in the world of strip clubs; sex and all those desires are not something that Hollywood or international cinema portrays them to be. Realistically, it's a dark world down there, and you have to be ready for it.

This is not suitable for the kids, but I would advise that you consider it if you are going to study Psychology, social work, or social science, as it could be used as study material.

A decent foreign film for the subject matter and story its trying to tell you.