Desire

Once again, with the everlasting stigma of being misnamed porn, "Q (Desire)" is in fact a raw and unfiltered exploration of sexuality, desire, and the search for connection. The two protagonists are key players in this intricate emotional tapestry, erratic and poorly written, certainly, but whose psychologies reveal the depths of the human experience. The bravery of actresses Déborah Révy and Hélène Zimmer in a disgustingly hypocritical world, where reactionary social conventions label the most explicit exposure of the human body as pornography or indecency, is something we should all reflect on, rather than ostracizing them in shame (we have barely been able to see either of them in future projects due to a fundamentally sexist and even misogynistic pigeonholing).

"Q (Desire)" is an erotic drama that intertwines the lives of several people in a social context marked by the economic crisis. The film centers on Cécile, a 20-year-old woman who, after the death of her father, finds herself helpless and seeking solace in her friendships and a series of sexual experiences that confront her own fantasies and desires. Cécile explores complex relationships and the search for pleasure and connection with different characters. Among them, the insecure Alice, misunderstood by her rigid and overprotective mother, yearns for a great romance, although her relationship with Matt doesn't offer the security she seeks. Through encounters and disagreements, the story delves into human desire and how it can disrupt people's lives, with Cécile serving as a catalyst that connects everyone and turns the lives of those she meets upside down.

The recurrent use of sex in the form of fellatio, masturbation, or the act of love itself, in various explicit but very natural and elegant sequences (the sequence of the two protagonists in the ferry bathroom offers one of the most intensely erotic moments I've ever witnessed in a film) serves to weave empowerment, but also victimization. Cécile uses her sexuality as an autonomous tool, always choosing with whom, when, and how, which gives her a powerful sense of control in her life. Her willingness to expose herself can be interpreted as a desire to be observed, desired, and validated. There is an underlying need to feel attractive and significant, to confirm her own existence through the gaze and desire of others.

Alice is Cécile's emotional counterpart, a young woman on the threshold of coming of age, exploring her sexuality and identity with a mixture of curiosity and naiveté. Her initial relationship with Matt is her first foray into sexual intimacy. This dynamic represents the conventional adolescent paradigm of romance and sex. However, there is a subtle dissatisfaction in Alice, a restlessness that suggests this "normalcy" isn't enough to satisfy her deepest desires or her growing "secret" curiosity. Alice is a more contemplative and sensitive character. Although she doesn't directly participate in Cécile's activities, she is a keen observer of the complexities and emotional consequences of these interactions.

This movie is very daring because showing many unsimulated sex scenes, what is not frequent in mainstream movies. Some young actors are good and promising. The first one is Deborah Révy who plays the leading role. Even if her character is not very credible (a girl obsessed by sex and greedy to make love with many people, just because her father died recently), she plays it well, with a provocative and natural attitude. She's pretty convincing even if the storyboard is rather awkward.

Hélène Zimmer who plays, on the opposite, a shy girl frightened to make love with her boyfriend for the first time, is touching and very convincing too.

In that kind of movie showing explicitly physical love, I preferred "9 songs" by far, because in "Q", one has often the feeling that the explicit sex scenes are shown for themselves and don't really serve the story. so, watching the movie, one have an embarrassing feeling to be a voyeur.

that's pity, it could have been far better. But I enjoyed it anyway.

Its hard to make a drama erotic, the more complex if its the other way around. Q is an erotica at its dramatic best, a distant topper in the genre. The plot evolves with lives of some characters revolving around Cecile, the protagonist in the drama, and how she change their lives. Too much subtle the screenplay at times, that we tend to lose it quite easily. And thankfully, the erotic scenes never shadows the feel of the movie which makes it engaging throughout.

The creditable performances from the cast imprints the quality of the drama, and quite deceitfully we get obsessed with the protagonist played by the gorgeous Déborah Révy - a rare breed of voluptuousness and acting prowess. The movie for all its sensuousness should be indebted to some unseen good locale, complemented well by good cinematography. A must stop port this for the erotica lovers, and a good watch for other movie goers. Its an erotica at its dramatic best. 6.5/10

Director Laurent Bouhnik had an interesting idea, but it didn't translate well on screen. I consider almost every aspect of this film a very rough draft.

1. Character development is almost non-existent. 2. The narrative is choppy and many scenes are unnecessary. 3. The plot lacks direction. 4. The acting is okay at best. 5. None of the characters are particularly likable.

Bottom Line: I've read several reviews that praise this film for it's success in it's depiction of eroticism, however, Bouhnik's overly-heavy focus on sex and erotic behavior doesn't leave enough room for the characters or the story to develop properly. I will admit that there are several (individual) scenes that are strong--diamonds in the rough, if you will--but when the film was over, I had taken nothing from it, felt nothing during it, and was generally uninterested in the story and the characters.

I viewed the Strand Releasing version, which was stated to have toned down the sex scenes. Their version is still a pretty strong R film with plenty of nudity. There are intermittent B&W nude scenes set in a shower where they are frankly discussing men and their desires. The film is about young people in France, during a time of strikes and unemployment, so they are mainly jobless and aimless, at times destructive and obsessed with lust. The men talk primarily about getting "it", and the women want more then a simple coupling, and also seem to understand the power they have over the men when they withhold themselves. The passionate scenes between them seemed to have feelings that simple porn movies never have. I really liked the one scene where the mother was concerned about what her daughter might be doing with her boyfriend, and the father then assures his daughter that he and her mother also played around. There is an error with one of the women, when she says she needs her glasses to see, and then for the rest of the film is not wearing glasses (she was told she looked better without glasses.) Movie with subtitles.