Yesterday, I attended a screening of this film at the Montreal World Film Festival. The director, Jérome de Missolz, presented his film as a lyrical, taboo breaking depiction of feminine sexuality: what rubbish!
La Mécanique des Femmes can only be described as a misogynous depiction of female sexuality. To make matters worse, the plot of this movie is simply non-existant, not to mention the complete lack of character development. I felt in no way connected to a single character in this ridiculous film!
I actually sat through this nonsense, hoping that it would somehow get better, or perhaps redeem itself with a brilliant ending. What was I thinking? I should have taken a cue from the 30 or so of my fellow moviegoers, who walked out of the theatre. Honestly, they were dropping like flies. I've never seen a film that was met with such obvious universal disapproval. It was disconcerting. I truly felt embarrassed for the director.
I must articulate that I was in no way offended by this film. In fact, very little offends me, as I am extremely open-minded. However, what I did feel was annoyed and cheated. I expected something profound, and instead was provided with a demonstration of just how absurd, ludicrous, blatantly laughable a film can be when somebody tries too hard, or not hard enough - depending on how you wish to look at it - to create something "insightful".
If you are interested in seeing a film that truly is a lyrical, taboo breaking depiction of feminine sexuality, allow me to recommend Romance (1999), a film written and directed by Catherine Breillat. Perhaps the fact that she actually is a WOMAN could suggest why this film, unlike Mécanique, is a pertinent reflection of the female psyche.
