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BAISE-MOI (RAPE ME) Send This Review to a Friend
It is understandable that "Baise-Moi" should have caused controversy in France, and it is likely to prompt detractors here. The film spews an uncomfortable blend of sex and violence and I left the screening room with memories of feelings invoked when I first saw Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless," although no comparison of artistic quality is in order. For all its nihilistic behavior by its protagonist, 'Breathless" still showed him to be a dreamer. "Baise--Moi" is fiercely ugly as it shows remorseless behavior by two women who have been abused by men and decide to go on a ruthless crime spree. It is "Thelma and Louise" without the humor, charm and charismatic stars. Coralie Trinh Thi and Virginie Despentes, the co-directors of "Baise-Moi," which is based on Despentes's novel, give no quarter whatsoever and their leading ladies, to use the term loosely, are anything but appealing.
For starters there is a vicious, explicit rape scene that is so graphic that it is hard to watch. Manu, who has grown tough from her unfortunate life, is the rape victim of young brutes and the scene is pitiful and devastating. Nadine is a whore who attempts to keep her dignity. Despite their experiences with sex, they can also enjoy sex on their own terms and delight in taking it aggressively when they want it. The two form a liaison and take off on a trail of crime and vicious murder. They show no remorse or traces of conscience and the friendship they share is enlivened by the thrills they experience as they vent their rage against men in particular and society in general. They are the nightmares behind the headlines and stories we read about crimes that seem so utterly senseless.
The sex is very explicit, and the directors cast Manu and Nadine with two porn stars, Raffaela Anderson and Karen Bach, who deliver the kind of screen sex you don't usually find in mainstream films. It is the coupling of the sex with the violence that can make one squirm, whether the women are the victims or the perpetrators.
There are those who would in no way wish to subject themselves to this 77-minute film, but that said, those who want to see it will find a daring work that makes a crude, uncompromising statement about the violence that exists in society today and the danger of society producing monsters who feel they must do unto others even more than what was done unto them. A FilmFixx/Remstar Distribution release.
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