L'école de la chair

Isabelle Ann Huppert is a gorgeous, mature woman. She dominates this film, and even though a strong cast supports her, she still dominates. Her motive for sticking with this jerk remains cloudy, unless he is the world's greatest lover. I was mesmerised by Huppert, however, and I will look for more films with her in them, and there are quite a lot of them.

This film is near the top of my list for best films out of France. It is a superb production. The scenes between Dominique (Isabelle Huppert) and Quentin (Vincent Martinez) are completely convincing with natural conversation and sensitive mood changes. While the disparity of ages between lovers is not a new theme, it has never been handled more expertly than here where the older woman wants to "possess" the young call-boy but he is determined to remain a free spirit. What is so arresting in this story is that we know so little about the characters and their past. But information is gleaned bit by bit from their conversations, and never very much, so we hunger for more as the story unfolds. The dewy-eyed Isabelle Huppert in the final scenes reveals her talent as a fine actress. A wonderful piece of cinema that holds you to the end...and what an ending when the two characters realize that their dream has ended and they now face the harsh realities of life.

Isabelle Huppert is as beautiful as ever, but it is hard to see why her character does the things she does in this confused tale of cross-generational lovers. As a middle-aged businesswoman, Huppert takes a much younger bisexual bartender/hustler into her home, pays his debts, buys him clothes. He never seems to treat her well enough to justify her generosity, and he never seems interesting or lovable enough to justify her affection. It all comes unravelled eventually, after enough nude love scenes to keep most of the audience awake most of the time.

There is something extraordinary about the two leads in this movie. Vincent Martinez was initially quite appalling to look at - scrawny, brooding with features more akin to a caricature! However, as the film progresses, one can sense a certain charisma and physical presence that he projects more and more palpably; yes, even from a man's perspective. But that's as far as it goes for him...

As for Isabelle, my! What an actress, what a woman! These French actress: Catherine Deneuve, Adjani, Beart - very few Hollywood actresses can be placed in the same league as them. This is my first time seeing Ms Huppert perform and I was really blown away. She brought so much contradicting sides to her character and she made them so believable. The character is strong in career and personality, yet vulnerable in her devotion to the above-mentioned man-animal. She is decisive and purposeful in life choices of career, marriage and the man-in-her-life yet defers constantly to the whims and fancies of him. You get the picture!

Anyway, with one single long shot of her face as betrayal, despair and sadness climax into a single track of tears - extraordinary! No self-pity, no cloying sentimentality; just plain sadness at the state of affair....At first glance, she did not appear extraordinarily beautiful. But as the film progresses, she looked increasingly radiant and one can't help but feel drawn to her.

One of the best film I've seen at this year's film festival where more is said through pregnant silences than confrontations and accusations a la Hollywood.

"School of Flesh" tells of the ebb and flow of a sex/love relationship between a well-to-do middle aged woman and a handsome young bisexual male hustler. In typical French fashion the pair of star-crossed protags are locked in constant maneuvering in order to better define the limits of their relationship and their influence over it. Though the film is very well acted and directed with Huppert exuding expressionless controlled intensity, the underlying story seems somehow worn, unoriginal, and lacking the psychodynamics required for audience satisfaction. Recommended only for Huppert fans and aficionados of French cinema. (B-)