Anatomy of Hell (2004)

A woman employs a gay man to spend four nights at her house to watch her when she's "unwatchable".

Director:

Catherine Breillat

Writer:

Catherine Breillat (based on the novel "Pornocratie")

Stars:

Amira Casar, Rocco Siffredi, Alexandre Belin

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Amira Casar	...	The Woman
Rocco Siffredi	...	The Man
Alexandre Belin	...	Blow-job lover 1
Manuel Taglang	...	Blow-job lover 2
Jacques Monge	...	Man in bar
Claudio Carvalho	...	Boy with the Bird
Carolina Lopes	...	Little Girl
Diego Rodrigues	...	Little boy playing doctor (as 'Diogo Rodriques')
Diogo Rodriques	...	Boy Playing Doctor
João Marques	...	Boy Playing Doctor
Bruno Fernandes	...	Little boy playing doctor
Maria Edite Moreira	...	Pharmacist 1
Maria João Santos	...	Pharmacist 2
Catherine Breillat	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

A man rescues a woman from a suicide attempt in a gay nightclub. Walking the streets together, she propositions him: She'll pay him to visit her at her isolated house for four consecutive nights. There he will silently watch her. He's reluctant, but agrees. As the four nights progress, they become more intimate with each other, and a mutual fascination/revulsion develops. By the end of the four-day "contract", these two total strangers will have had a profound impact on each other.

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Plot Keywords:

sex while asleep | copulation | female genitalia | female full frontal nudity | bare breasts | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

'Unwatchable' is a euphemism for menstruating, on her period or 'on the rag'.

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Quotes

The woman: I am a person alone, resists the whole world despairingly.

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Connections

Referenced in Brows Held High: 9 Songs (2012)

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Soundtracks

Timeless Bass
Written by D'Julz Single Studio
Produced by D'Julz Single Studio
(C) 20:20 vision records

User Reviews

Interesting as always ... but not one of Breillat's best.

I am a great fan of Catherine Breillat. I have seen many of her films now and have enjoyed each and every one. She is an interesting film maker, always provocative, always prepared to push the boundaries of cinema. 'Anatomy of Hell' tho left me somewhat bored. It seems to me that with each new film, Breillat is becoming ever more compartmentalized. Here, her mission is to specifically explore the female sex organ and the affect this may (or may not have) on the male sexual and emotional psyche. The problem is, since she's chosen such a narrow subject (no pun intended) to examine, there really isn't enough material here to sustain an entire film ... even one with a brief running time as this (approx 80 mins).

Another downside also is that the film is totally reliant on the 2 leads, and frankly, Siffredi is just not up to the task. On the other hand, as always, Breillat casts an interesting female lead. Amira Casar, with her porcelain white skin, her voluptuous curves and her pitch black hair certainly holds ones interest. I get the feeling Breillat, when making the female casting choice, looks for younger and more glamorous versions of herself -- you'll rarely see a blonde.

There are the trademark 'pluses' of Breillat in this film tho. Her thoughtfully conceived set design for example ... her minimal editing .. sparse use of lighting. These all add up to good story telling techniques in my book. But alas, there is just not enough substance to the narrative to make this a good film.

I really do wonder where she is going to go from here ... ?

Details

Official Sites:

Distributor site Film site

Country:

France Portugal

Language:

French

Release Date:

28 January 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Anatomy of Hell

Filming Locations:

Ericeira, Portugal

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,255, 26 September 2004

Gross USA:

$34,506

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$345,365

Company Credits

Production Co:

Flach Film, CB Films, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min 87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1