One of France’s adventurous filmmakers, Patrice Chereau always tackled the mind of humanity with films like “Queen Margot”, “Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train”, and most recently, “Son Frere”. Along with acting in films like “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Lucie Aubrac”, Chereau is also an acclaimed playwright in his native France. In 2001, Chereau garnered controversy with an erotic drama filled with graphic sex, notably an oral sex scene that would push the limits of erotic cinema in his film adaptation of the story “Intimacy”, written by “My Beautiful Laundrette” scribe Hanif Kureishi. Adapted into a script by Chereau and Anne-Louise Trividic, “Intimacy” is a harrowing, provocative drama about a failed musician-turned bar manager who has a weekly, unspoken affair with a mysterious woman. Immediately, the man wants to know more as he meets up with her caring, good-natured husband where the intimate relationship he had with the mysterious woman shatters. Starring Mark Rylance, Kerry Fox, Timothy Spall, Alistair Galbraith, Philippe Calvario, Susannah Harker, and 60s pop singer Marianne Faithfull. “Intimacy” is a shocking, melancholic drama that questions the fulfillment of human emotions.

Every Wednesday at the home of failed musician turned bar manager Jay (Mark Rylance), he slums around in his bleak-infested apartment where at two o’ clock, a mysterious woman named Claire (Kerry Fox) shows up. Both living in London, the two would briefly have coffee and then engage in rough, compassionate sex for a few hours. At night, Jay would go to work as a bar manager where he meets new bartender Ian (Philippe Calvario), who is looking for a new place to live. He turns to his friend Victor (Alistair Galbraith) for help but Victor is already having trouble with drugs and money problems that he is forced to stay with Jay for a while. Jay meanwhile, is dealing with the abandonment he had with his wife Susan (Susanna Harker) and his children.

Ravaged with guilt over abandoning his family in favor of trying to start his career as a musician, Jay seeks solace whenever Claire would show up every Wednesday. After another meeting that involved Claire giving Jay some oral pleasure, Jay wonders what mystery that she has. After another Wednesday involving rough sex, Jay decides to follow Claire and see what does she do. Outside of the affair, Claire is an actress and acting teacher in suburban London. Claire would work with her students including friend Betty (Marianne Faithfull). Then one night, Jay decides to find Claire where he learns she acts in an underground theater for “The Glass Menagerie” where he meets a cheerful, intelligent cab driver named Andy (Timothy Spall) and his son Luke (Joe Prospero).

For the next few days, Jay would have conversations with Andy about women where Jay revealed about the affair he had without mentioning Claire’s name as he found out that Andy is Claire’s husband. Jay is shocked at how good-natured Andy is despite his physical flaws and one day, Claire learns that Jay is at the pub Andy hangs out at. Jay tries to reconnect with Susan and his children one day when he drops them off from school while the affair he had with Claire seemed to stop when she doesn’t show up one Wednesday. That was until she did decide to show up on another Wednesday but Jay is filled with guilt while in their affair, they chose not to speak to each other. After having another affair with a woman named Pam (Rebecca R. Palmer), Jay wants to end his sexual adventures to help out Ian and Victor.

Then one night while hanging out with Andy, Andy introduces Jay to Claire where problems start to happen. Claire begins to breakdown during one of her classes where she seeks guidance from Betty while Jay is wondering what is happening. Then everything falls apart as the nice Andy finally loses his cool where Claire and Jay are forced to meet to discuss everything they’ve damaged.

While the film at times is somewhat predictable in its plot and doesn’t give more emphasis on how the affair actually started. Credit should go to Patrice Chereau for making the film a smooth, character-study driven story. Chereau’s direction is stripped down than most film productions with jerky hand-held camera movements and intense, ominous shots where everything seems to fall into place. Chereau definitely goes for emotional intensity in many of scenes, notably the sex scenes that are presented in a very rough, graphic tone, especially in the unrated versions, an infamous oral sex scene. Of course, that begs the question of whether it would be deemed as pornographic or provocative in its narrative. It might seem pornographic but because of the film’s emotional nature, there must be some reason for a woman to perform fellatio on a man and there was something desperate there. I’m not sure if I can call it pornographic, especially in the way it was shot and handled in its detached direction.

With Chereau’s direction complemented by its screenplay, the story does have all the provocative, character-study elements of Hanif Kureishi, who is practically one of the most adventurous screenwriters of his generation. Helping Chereau with his bleak vision is cinematographer Eric Gautier who helps captures that bleak, British look in its rainy and sunny tones that is helped by the ominous, dark look of production designer Hayden Griffin and art director Jacqueline Abrams. Giving the film some rhythm to Chereau’s obtuse direction is the jump-cut style editing of Francois Gedigier, who helps brings in some wonderful sequence cuts, notably in the sex scenes where just captures the rhythm and intensity of the sex in the film. With a melancholic film score from Eric Neveux, the film includes music from the Clash, Nick Cave, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie.

Then there’s the film cast that includes wonderful small performances from Alistair Galbraith as the troubled Victor, who always seems to screw everything up, and Philippe Calvario as Ian, who brings some intelligence and conscious to Jay despite his reluctance to be involved. While the film also includes nice small performances from Susannah Harker, Rebecca R. Palmer, and Joe Prospero, Marianne Faithfull brings a presence that was needed in the film. She brought a charm and intelligence as Betty, Claire’s friend, who seems to have lived life to the fullest while still trying to improve her abilities as an actress. Faithfull brought a classy presence of wisdom that was needed for Claire’s character. Timothy Spall is the film’s best supporting performance as Andy, as a man who is somewhat of a cuckold but is someone we care for. Spall brought his working-class nature to the film with some intelligence as he has wonderful scenes with Rylance and Fox while in the third act, we see how repressed he is about Claire’s misgivings. Spall is really the film’s victim as a man who seems to have everything but nearly loses it all.

Kerry Fox gives an amazing, troubled performance as Claire. With her quiet, restrained performance, Fox brings in a tone where she seems emotionally repressed and quiet. In her scenes with Spall, we see while she is loved, she feels disappointed by him while with Rylance; she doesn’t speak very much only to be sexually empowering. It’s a very complex performance that isn’t easy to watch but she brings a lot of depth to her performance. Mark Rylance is also amazing in his role as Jay with his desperation into finding answers while figuring out what he did wrong with his own life. Rylance, who returns from years of hiatus, definitely strays away from his disciplined, acting style where he seems more relaxed despite a troubled role. Rylance brings a fearlessness and anguish in one hell of a performance.

While “Intimacy” isn’t a perfect film, it is still a provocative, harrowing erotic drama from Patrice Chereau. Helmed by Chereau’s stripped down direction and the performances of Mark Rylance, Kerry Fox, Timothy Spall, and Marianne Faithfull, “Intimacy” works as a character-driven story with people trying to figure out their own behaviors. While those who don’t enjoy erotic films will indeed hate this, it is a film that isn’t for everyone. Still, the film does have some nice sex despite its graphic tone and its importance to the film’s narrative. In the end, “Intimacy” is one of those films that will make you take steps closer and back while being intrigued by the behavior of two very lonely, desperate souls.

Related Reviews:

Last Tango in Paris (1972):

http://www.epinions.com/content_135414386308

The Dreamers (2003):

http://www.epinions.com/content_135411764868

The Mother (2003):

http://www.epinions.com/content_143960542852



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age