American Translation

2011
5.4| 1h49m| NR| en
Details

From the moment they meet, brooding Chris and the beautiful Aurore fall instantly and passionately in love but it's not long before their intense connection is consumed by Chris's dark obsession with gay men. Before long, the pair embarks on a violent and sexual journey filled with seduction and destruction of young gay hustlers.

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Alicia I love this movie so much
Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall
Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.
johannes2000-1 Surely this movie is not everyone's cup of tea, including mine. It deals with unsympathetic people, senseless killings and unbridled sex and it may leave you depressed and aghast. But all this doesn't mean that it's a bad movie. On the contrary, in my opinion it was actually very fascinating and compelling, maybe a bit overlong and repetitive, but still: quite good. This is especially due to both leading actors Pierre Perrier and Lizzie Brocheré. They play Chris and Aurore, two young kids of opposite backgrounds (she spoiled and rich, he an obscure vagabond) who fall in love, elope and start to roam around the country in Chris' mini-van. Soon Aurore discovers a very dark side in her lover: he picks up young guys for sex and in the process kills them. Director Barr obviously tries to give some insight in the mind and motives of a serial killer (as he illustrates by showing some meant-to-be illuminating texts right before the closing credits). Maybe he doesn't totally succeed, but he comes a fair way. Slowly and by fragments Chris reveals to Aurore some of his feelings during his killings. It becomes clear that there's a strong sexual motivation, killing turns him on. There are also hints of a disturbed childhood with physical abuse, but I appreciated it that director Barr doesn't go into that too deep, so it doesn't serve as an obvious excuse. What remains is a clearly psychopathic and relentless killer but with such luring charm that it totally encapsulates the infatuated Aurore. As I said, Perrier and Brocheré are both very good and convincing. Perrier is extremely handsome with a strong screen-presence and a beautiful physique that he is not shy to show (as one may expect in a French movie), and when he smiles you can easily understand his attraction to women and men. But the moment we see his face tighten up or when he gets into one of his frequent aggressive tantrums he becomes hair-raisingly scary. Brocheré has equal charisma and plays the slightly naive rich girl who slowly comes to understand what is really going on to perfection. We see her evolve from being in shock and disbelief, through resignation with the apparently inevitable, up until passive complicity. I did like the script too. Especially the episodes where Chris takes Aurore to some of the places where he grew up are very strong. They meet people there who clearly have a grudge against him for things he did in the past or are visibly afraid of him (the pastor that Chris almost forces to marry them), it gives the viewer a chilling sense of some dark and terrible secrets that concern Chris. Also the casual approach that Chris uses on virtually every young guy they meet along the road (including one of the policemen that stop them for a routine control) give you the chills, it's like a snake charming a potential victim. There are also some flaws in the script, apart from the repetitive character. Apparently Chris always picked up guys in broad daylight from such public places as supermarkets, laundries or gas-stations along the road. And he always uses the same old mini-van and his own name. One would think that the police would be on his track some time before. And then the role of the father of Aurore is disappointing. I can understand that they had some sort of free relationship, but once he visits her and Chris in the apartment and obviously senses that there is something very fishy with this guy that seems to have bewitched his daughter and lives of her (i.e. his own) money, he just leaves and apparently does nothing. I really expected him to turn the police on Chris. Now this whole episode was unnecessary and superfluous. All in all an interesting and very well acted movie, not for the tenderhearted (be it for the graphic sex and nudity, or for the violence), but still very worthwhile.
wc1996-428-366101 This film is not for everyone, but for certain guys like me it is everything. And I'm talking orgasm time. I think it's safe to say that 99% of the people in the world will not get this film, but for the 1% of us who do this film is something else - not only a work of art but arousing as well. It deals with a subject that is known only to a very small group of guys who cultivate it as much as they can within safe and sane boundaries. Some guys alas fall off the edge and end up in very dire circumstances. The newspapers are full of these stories. The cops just look the other way. They've seen it before and they will see it again. The very core of man's nature is dark and sinister and the male lead in this film demonstrates that to a degree that is shocking, but also, a turn-on, for those of us consumed with dark and sinister sexual fantasies.
vintkd It's a disgusting movie, where are no sense and no art. It reminded me of old and good film "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" of 86 th year with Michael Rooker, where were all what you need, real story, interesting plot, charismatic and brutal main character, good acting and scaring tension. In "American Translation" there is nothing similar. On a screen I just saw the stupid and revolting lovers who doing nothing except murder and sex, they have no motivation, no reason for that, just they are bored. They are much talking about love but they didn't love each other really. They are unfeeling and blind for each other and for me such characters not interesting. I don't know why and for whom made this film.
kosmasp This movie shows a lot of skin. I'm not telling you this to get you to see this movie (there's plenty of other movies that will fulfill that and might be more interesting than this one), but just in case you don't like the fact or don't want to see that in a movie. Apart from that, this is much more then the skin you are going to see.The movie is a disturbing drama. A movie that does not care if you like it's main character (I'm almost certain it wants you to hate him), but has an interesting journey to follow. Our main guy acts like he does, because he can. Should the main female character behave differently though? It's a tough movie and it might not be to everyones taste. Can't really recommend it, but if you like weird movies, then try it (I liked it, despite its flaws).

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