French director Catherine Breillat again courts controversy in the erotic drama 'Anatomy of Hell' . The problems with this movie do not lie in the fact of being shocking or taboo trashing but in the fact this is neither erotic nor dramatic. This plodding escapade of supposed entertainment has got the pleasure of being the second worse thing I have watched this year being beaten only by the director’s interview which is also featured on this disc. 'Anatomy of Hell' should have been called a more fittingly ‘Loosing the Will to Live’.
Breillat discusses in painstaking and in sleep inducing detail that she based lots of the images on screen on famous paintings, the likes of Carravagio and such. Just because one has the vision of posing scenes like works of art does not mean that one will be produced.
When I was awake the movie kicked off with a guy being blown outside a gay bar. Hardcore oral sex right at the start? Perhaps a shocking jolt to get you to watch more of this daring stuff? Inside we get our introduction to the lovely looking Amira Cesar walking through, dazed and confused with life itself (or perhaps why she is starring in this movie). In the solace of the toilets she starts to cut her wrists open only to be stopped (and no persuasion needed either) by world-renowned Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi (Romance ).
Once saved Cesar asks Sifferdi to do the unthinkable and watch the unwatchable (more self-induced PR from the director, here are carrots to make you think you are in for a jaded thrill ride… oh you are so wrong). So over the period of four nights he arrives and plenty of nudity ensues. I should also state that this almost music-less mess is so heavy on the ham-fisted symbolism that you almost start to laugh at its supposed frank and shocking depictions of womanhood.
We have tampon trauma and a literal bloody Mary being served, a garden rake being used as a rusty phallus and a game of hide the stone dildo… oh, and painting parts of the anatomy where lipstick was not designed for. These are for shock value only, plain and simple. Watch the whinging Breillat state time and time again in the interview about how critics did not get these symbolic gestures and references and I am afraid I am joining this happy band. Lets face it vague would be a compliment. If just by reading the chapter titles, perhaps referring to the Director’s own book, the likes of 'Symbolically Spread', 'Red Lips', 'The Blood of Enemies', 'Human Nature' and 'The Queen of Sluts', you might get a slight idea of what you are in for but you do not wish to be consulting the chapter titles for what her message, if any, is. This is not a book, this is cinema and you should be able to piece things together by what is on the screen alone. There is also a voice over by Breillat herself, but here she is stating the thoughts of both characters and again seems unfitting and irritating at best.
With 'Romance' and 'A Ma Soeur' , Breillat had something honest to say, but here she tries for the religious allegory and her own remaking of the Bible’s Adam and Eve to miserable effect with her unnamed pair. The wooden Siffredi looks so bored it’s amazing he can raise an eyebrow never mind any other appendage.
Yes there is a silver lining; despite the running time on the cover of 85 mins this only runs 73! And you will be grateful for that. It's a shame as Tartan have dressed this package up nicely. The cover has a shot of Cesar in a censored computered clothed pose for easy shelf display. The print is immaculate and there are again great sound options of French Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and DTS Digital Surround 5.1 with crisp English Subtitles. The animated menus and the Original Trailer promise the goods but this cure for insomnia never delivers. Dare if you must and watch the 65mins of running time for the director’s interview, in French with English subtitles but this will have you wishing to either strangle Breillat or jump for the off button. You have been warned.
The Tartan trailer reel containing the trailers for '2046' , 'My Architect' , 'In My Skin (Dans Ma Peau)' and 'Milwaukee, Minnesota' is the most excitement you will get from this disc.
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