Baise-moiDirector: Virginie Despentes, Coralie Trinh ThiGenre: Exploitation Publisher: Filmfixx Released: 2000 MPAA Rating: Unrated Cast: Raffaëla Anderson, Karen Lancaume |
A Review by John Nesbit
04/30/2002
Ever since The Blair Witch Project struck gold with an innovative underground approach, other amateur filmmakers have sought similar means to market their wares. Although most of these attempts fail horrendously, occasionally an inept amateur film rises above the muck and hits a niche, garnering far more attention than it deserves.
Such is the case with Baise-moi, notorious for its graphic depiction of rape and for being banned in its native France, exciting exploitation fans because they realize how explicit French films can be. The term “Baise-moi” has been widely publicized in the U.S. as meaning “Rape me,” but the more accurate translation is “Fuck me.” The latter wouldn't play any U.S. film festivals, arthouses, or get classified as a foreign video/DVD. Distributors are aware that gaining a crossover audience is desirable for greater market share. I feel fortunate that I only had to invest 70 minutes and waste a Netflix rental; otherwise, I would have felt that I was the one who got raped and fucked.
For all its publicity about being a feminist statement against rape, Baise-moi essentially boils down to bloody nihilistic pornography that is neither provocative nor sexy—another Natural Born Killers with explicit sex and less artistry with the camera. Shot on videotape, somewhat in Dogme style, filmmakers Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi (a porno actress) fail to develop any characters to care about although basic human instincts tell us that we should feel sorry for the two rape victims and for the various people who are subsequently gunned down senselessly.
The main actresses and actors all star in porn films, so the women readily perform fellatio and copulate in various positions, and the men all come well equipped—in such a low budget flick no special effects or prosthetics are used, so having a large and easily excited penis is the only acting requirement.
The loosely formed plot unites porn actress Manu (Raffaëlla Anderson) and hooker Nadine (Karen Bach) after Manu has inexplicably murdered a sympathetic male friend—we are to assume that it's due to a psychotic break after a brutal gang bang rape by anonymous thugs. Hints of lesbianism occur with the newly formed Thelma and Louise type couple, but nothing hardcore occurs between the female leads. The two take off for the ocean—a weak attempt to incorporate a Truffaut reference to classify the film as art, perhaps, but Manu decides to tag along with her new friend when Nadine shows no shock over news of the murder. They both have deep seated, but verbally unexpressed hatred of men despite their extreme horniness and desire for cock.
Advertised as “shocking” for the brutal rape scene, even more shocking are the bloody and pointless murders. Their first victim is a woman, who happens to use the ATM machine at the wrong time—the two girls express that they feel sorry for the woman before setting off on their premeditated killing, but there's no feeling behind it. The filmmakers aren't big on dialogue anyway—a fact that they self reference within the film.
The killings only serve to link sex scenes and build a modicum of suspense. Nadine and Manu follow a predictable pattern of seducing men who are ready to fuck and be sucked—many of them are destined to be blown to bits afterwards, but that's up to the two girls. The hidden agenda is control—the men stand a chance of living another day as long as they allow the horny girls to do what they want. But pity the man who wants so much as a condom. These women mimic black widows and just may destroy the men after copulation.
We never get to know these women. The film doesn't reveal their inner characters or even allow them to share a humorous moment, which may be just as well since the actresses are both emotionally flat and only come to life when engaged sexually. The film misses its chance with a dance number that has Nadine and Manu swaying in unison and getting closer to each other, but it cuts away before any intimacy can take place. Instead, much of the film takes place with cheap and banal French metal music with common bumping and grinding action, followed with blood and gore gun play to the unfortunate victims.
The one note political message remains ineffectual and gains no sympathy (except perhaps from other angry females) because the two lead characters are both stereotypes without remorse. To appear artistically edgy, the filmmakers do make sure their cardboard protagonists don't get away with their crimes by the end, but the ending is amateurishly tacked on.
Attracting audiences with publicity about the shocking film that has appeared at film festivals but been banned by its progressive native country, the bloody film rapes and fucks us raw, but the uninitiated may last through the 70 minutes before realizing it. Consider yourself warned even though some of you are certain to now put Baise-moi on your “must see” list to see what all the talk is about. That's exactly what the filmmakers are counting on.
© Copyright CultureCartel.com 04/30/2002
