Romance (1999)

Director:

Catherine Breillat

Writer:

Catherine Breillat (scenario and dialogue)

Release Date:

14 April 1999 (Belgium)

Genre:

Adult | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love is desolate. Romance is temporary. Sex is forever.

Plot:

Although deeply in love with her boyfriend - and indeed sleeping in the same bed with him - a schoolteacher...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Tantalus Torture | Vulva | Hand Job | Rape

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Caroline Ducey	...	Marie
Sagamore Stévenin	...	Paul
François Berléand	...	Robert
Rocco Siffredi	...	Paolo
Reza Habouhossein	...	Man on stairs
Ashley Wanninger	...	Ashley
Emma Colberti	...	Charlotte
Fabien de Jomaron	...	Claude
Carla	...	Model
Pierre Maufront	...	Photographer
Antoine Amador	...	Hairdresser
Roman Rouzier	...	Echography technician
Oliver Buchette	...	Head doctor (as Olivier Buchette)
Emmanuelle N'Guyen	...	Midwife (as Emmanuelle N'guyen)
Nadia Latoui	...	Nurse

Also Known As:

Romance X (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and strong sexual content including dialogue.

Runtime:

84 min | USA:99 min (unrated version)

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:R (reclassification) | Australia:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (DVD rating) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | Japan:R-18 | Singapore:(Banned) | Argentina:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (cut US version) | Canada:A (Alberta) | Canada:R (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:XXX (Nova Scotia) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | France:-16 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:(Banned) | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 (original rating) (cut) | South Korea:Limited (re-release) (uncut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Flach Film

Trivia:

Director Catherine Breillat admitted to choosing Rocco Siffredi because she wanted a well-endowed actor in the role.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the movie, Marie feels she'll give birth soon, so she tries to wake up Paul. During this scene she moves in a way which is impossible for a woman in her state of pregnancy.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Marie: I gave my son his father's name. If someone up there counts souls, then we're even.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Il tiranno (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Free your mind and your ass wili follow

Not as dreadful as you've read, but too much TALK.

Men hate it. Probably because it's not quite the pornography its detractors accuse it of. Women love it. Because it restores a woman's voice to the erotic? It also offers insultingly implausible solutions to genuine traumas; lacks the empathetic courage to embrace the dreamlike possibilities of its heroine's quest; and suggests motherhood as a woman's most fulfilling role. The film only becomes dull in the second half, and is more amusing than you might think, but the dreary visuals, trite metaphors, unimaginative use of voiceover and dialogue, and self-pitying acting soon become enervating.