I have to say that I saw the movie again after about 10 years, as I do this time with my various old DVDs, and I decided to express my opinion. When I first saw the movie seemed okay. There is no bad acting, especially from Mi Grönlund and Nicke Lingell. Re-watching the film I noticed, despite the nice try, a rather pell-mell written script with many flaws, and an only executive summary of the disease, not overall. Let me post a few.
MARITAL RELATIONSHIP
A woman with compulsive sexual behavior doesn't avoid her partner. As much as he learns to keep it secret, for certain many times the symptoms on bed are evident. Nothing about that.
MOTHERHOOD
No mention about the effect of the disease on children. Almost impossible, and a simple infidelity has. Usually kids always tell the truth.
TREATMNET
Only group therapy is mentioned and then happy end. It's not the key part and there's a lot more and most crucial for aiding recovery. No mention.
How to say there is a happy marriage with no simple love scene between them, not explicit, showing no such a problem in marriage. On the contrary, we see him workaholic, avoiding her and not give in to her desires (love, trips). It refers more to desperation than addiction. Only to say she loves him? Only sudden passion?
Cliché are also not avoided. The husband is "stupid", he always finds out it in the end. His "revenge" is use of force (mid 20th century). His has no time for retaliation (too many ways, not extramarital affair, etc) and with a few words he easily believes forgives and trust. Really degrading.
Does a marital argument last a minute or two? Does a confession last less than a minute? If they lasted longer, they could show a lot more about the disease. Any case is individual.
The scenes between the heroine and the richboy look like two lovebirds. We see someone who says is careful and never meets anyone twice and finally dates only one person for a long time, without seeking anything else, gives phone number, yearn to meet him, avoids husband, ready to follow him everywhere and risks anything, without any feelings of remorse or guilt. It's deliberate infidelity. They must kidding with "It disgusted me, but I still did it." Before the treatment has been successful? Fake confession, fake happy end. With the sudden leap to end anyone can be of the opinion that the end is a tribute to female craftiness, not cure.
Pity, because an initially promising film ended in disaster. I don't know about production financial or time issues that might have been a brake, but they should achieve better presentation.
The result is an erotism film, not presentation of the disease, not drama and not romance (is there?). No message is getting across. And I agree a lot with the poor end. I believe that the producers had a hand on this destructive jump to visual effects end. Perhaps they thought that they gonna earn their money back with explicit scenes only. Personally, I wouldn't care if there wasn't one. From all these I don't disagree with the low rate. Mine is 4/10, only for the promising beginning. There are more flaws or what could be added or removed for a fuller plot, but I don't like to become tedious.
However many well done to Mi Grönlund, who I believe did her best despite the shortcomings in the script. That she didn't reappear enough the next years and was made by her own choice then fair enough, otherwise the star system...
