Although very different, this is the type of film you may like if you appreciated Ghost World. The world is shown from an outsider's view who can't connect with people. It may not be on the same quality level and it has some freaky and disturbing shots at times but more often than not it hits right on the nail very firmly.
Some things depicted are grossly outdated even for a 1999 film like some of the clothing and the porn cinema. There are some brief pornographic images that could disturb some viewers. They didn't really bother me but seemed unnecessary although sex is an important topic of the film. It portrays life as a struggle that the main character refuses to waste his energy on. One is the masculine struggle for economical importance and dominance. The other is where the females have the power: sex. The gap between the haves and have-nots is much much bigger in the second department if you ask me (at least in western society) but there is an analogy between the two: they are both markets and humans have become products themselves in almost every way. It makes it hard to understand how people can stand life anymore. The main character is called "our hero" but the real hero is revealed in the end, struggling until the end, trying to make the best of it while the protagonist has given up on life.
Some things were disturbing, like when the protagonist recommends his colleague to kill a woman with a knife. It's not really convincing but explained as a way to gain power which is all what life seems to be about. Here, the characters become too much of a vehicle to carry ideas rather than real people. But mostly, the film is pretty real.
The female psychologist at the end also disturbed me, apparently she thought everybody who has no sex should either change that quickly or commit suicide, or at least has to stay absolutely miserable, as if nothing else matters in life than sex. If she applied her philosophy worldwide she'd be a mass murderer (for causing many suicides). Her beliefs might be more depressing than this film which is mostly funny in the first half and gets bleaker and sadder in the second, where tears get harder to suppress. The movie moved me in both ways and is good for that reason but also the sharp and keen insights on how the world worked...really I saw so many truths in this film, mostly the ones that were told by the main character. While he's clearly depressed his views are unfortunately too crystal clear and true for the film to be comfortable to watch. It hits you where it hurts which is exactly the intent of the writer Michel Houellebecq.
The main defect of the film is the reliance on voice overs. However the medium does add value by depicting precisely how things work in a discotheque for instance, or how things at work can be. There is also this dry humor at times that has to be timed, something that cannot be done in a book. Some typically French things also made me crack up, like waiting half a minute before nodding to the "garcon" that the wine is acceptable.
You will not relate to this movie if your (sex) life is fantastic and perfect and you don't understand depressed people or don't care about philosophy or psychology. Otherwise you have to see this movie!
There is a slight hint of optimism at the end as usual in Houellebecq's stories. It's just too bad I don't really love dancing!
