Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Michael_Elliott Last Mistress, The (2007) *** (out of 4) Libertine Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Ait Aattou) is about to marry into a rich family but must explain to his soon to be wife's grandmother why he has spent the last ten years with the same mistress (Asia Argento. The man must explain the two's connection and he must then face the fact that he won't be able to see her again or if she will let this happen. Breillat has become one of my favorite directors since seeing FAT GIRL several years back and she continues her success with this love triangle that certainly has a lot more style than substance. In the end, I'm really not sure if this movie tries to say anything other than that men are worthless pigs but if that's all there is to say then I'm alright with it because this is a beautiful film to look at and we're given some fine performances to watch. Argento is the one who really stood out for me and this is certainly the best I've seen from her. She's usually hit and miss (especially in her dad's movies) but she nails all the right notes here and delivers a full character. I really felt Argento hit all the dramatic notes just right and I think she did quite well in the more emotional scenes at well. There's a bizarre sequence in the desert where she really gets to show this off as well as mixing it in with her sexuality. Being a Breillat film, you know there's going to be quite a bit of sex and nudity. There's plenty of both but it's certainly a lot tamer than we're use to seeing but Argento dives into it head first. There's not an inch of her body that Breillat doesn't put the camera on but this is never a bad thing as she's got a certain way to throw her sexuality around. Newcomer Ait Aattou is also very impressive as the libertine as he perfectly captures the spirit and tortured soul of this character. He and Argento work extremely well together and this is especially true during their more dramatic moments. The visual look of the film is a real treat as the cinematography is top notch as is the costumes, art design and the marvelous sets. It seems Breillat spent a lot more time on the style here than the actual substance but I don't say this as a negative thing. I'm sure some might feel there should be more meat here but I think the film balances both ends quite well and in the end we're left with a very impressive film, although no classic.

doctorsmoothlove Alright, let me preface this film review with my admission that this is my first exposure to Catherine Breillat's work. So, you'll read no references to Romance and Fat Girl from me. What you will read is starling commentary well-constructed and didactic film. Breillat's newest production "Une Vieille Maitresse" or The Last Mistress (in North America) is a French-language set in the early 19th century. It is a film adaptation of Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly's novel of the same name.The story is narrated by and follows Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Ait Aattou), a pompous womanizer, through a ten-year period during which he has a sporadic relationship with a beautiful Spanish courtesan. Ryno is finally ready to settle down and is convinced of his unabated love for wealthy and virginal Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida). Her grandmother (Claude Sarraute) requests his life's story as symbol of his devotion to her granddaughter, which Ryno struggles to reveal. Ryno was rebounding from boring liaisons with married women when he was introduced to Señora Vellini (Asia Argento), the wife of an English aristocrat. Though she initially dislikes him, Vellini warms to Ryno's persistence in courting her. The process is bloody and life-threatening for both of them. Eventually, Vellini leaves her husband to live with Ryno. They move out of the country where they are beset by great tragedy and decide to separate. They agree to see others, but return to each other's arms for many passionate scenes. The narration ends and Ryno is now married to his devoted wife who, according to local gossip, is already subjected to him. Hermangarde shows us her devotion and follows Ryno to coastal France, despite her disdain for the ocean. Unbeknownst to both of them is Vellini's interest in the area too. Hermangarde sees her one day and follows her home to discover Ryno's horse outside. The film ends with observation that Vellini and Ryno will never separate. The Last Mistress is a film about liberation of sexuality, for both men and women. Vellini and Ryno are dominant partners when with other people but, in their inappropriate relationship, they are harmonious. Neither finds content by acceptable sexual practices. Their lawless affair is what impassions them. Asia Argento is much more attractive than her counterpart Roxane Mesquida in her sexual scenes. Her lovemaking (which is always presented on screen) appears more vivacious than Hermangarde's. Both Vellini and Ryno are capable of such visual flair because they view each other with an odd sort-of respect. Ryno literally takes a bullet for another chance at convincing Vellini to leave her browbeat husband and she, in turn, is shamed by society at large (though Ryno remarks that she doesn't notice this). It is this duality which creates there ten-year bond which we see and their presumed future together. I noticed a palpable feminist slant to The Last Mistress, which I discovered is frequent in Breillat's work. It's most obvious when someone remarks that Vellini and Ryno have been together three years longer than most Parisian marriages last During Ryno and Hermangarde's wedding ceremony, the pastor discusses passages from Corinthians which state that "man is the head of the house as Christ is head of the church." Yea, that was typical in the 18th century, but what wasn't was an illegitimate relationship between a penniless Frenchman and a Spanish courtesan. Breillat provides the most striking criticism of that archaic viewpoint with Vellini's self-declaration as a devil (not a she-devil) at a costume party.As a feminist, I must admit a slight bias I felt when writing this review. It's much easier to evaluate films for which I've no attraction than those I do. This one is enjoyable, but its pacing is slow and its story unfolds via an outdated method. Its "character reveals his/her past to curious spectator" approach is rarely used because of how obvious it is. Breillat provides a distraction for us in the skillful newcomer Fu'ad Ait Aattou. His facial expressions resonate with movement and convey a deep level of complexity. We are never sure if he's ecstatic or gloomy until we see his face. Given that most of the film is extreme close-up, this is incredibly important. Asia Argento doesn't show Aattou's depth (with her face) but her appearance is important nevertheless. While Hermangarde is pallid and her physical features are withdrawn, Vellini's skin is dark, her breasts are larger, and her body is fitter. See that feminist slant? This does reveal a possible anachronistic tattoo on Asia's upper spine. I would have preferred more information about Hermangarde. We know Asia loves her but why? How did she become the wife of the most disreputable playboy in Paris at the time? The absence of Hermangarde's past allows us to explore Vellini's history thoroughly but there is scant a sentence on the white virgin's history. As my first Breillat film, I was quite impressed. I'll view more of her work and perhaps return to this piece once I can evaluate in greater context. It's a very slow film and I wouldn't recommend it to those seeking a typical romance. The nature of romance in The Last Mistress is similar the peculiar relationships in Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. This film isn't as impressive as that one but it is a worthy comparison, full of modern application.(Note: This film is unrated in the United States but the MPAA would probably have rated it NC-17 for explicit sexuality, violence, blood, and drug use) Final Consensus: *** and ½ out of ****

lustyvita Its been awhile since I fell in love with a film, THE LAST MISTRESS reignited the flame. It is by far the best film yet of 2008. Few films can really develop the inexplicable magnetism of one person to another, the unbreakable bond that keeps them from drifting afar for too long. Its rare to experience, and difficult to understand. Somehow Breillat has brought to life a rich portrait of the love of a lifetime. Criticisms of pacing are way off, the performers are thinking, soaking in their melancholy and you track that sadness out of the theater in wet footprints. It was hard to leave the room when the credits were over, I wanted more of them, to believe in love no matter how much pain or consequence weathers its journey. Steadfast and true. One of the best female characters to date, and by far a groundbreaking performance from Argento! Rich, passionate, heartbreaking and Breillat's greatest success yet. This is film-making my friends! The younger ones may have trouble understanding or appreciating. For those of us still in love.

lazarillo Although I've seen several of them now, I still don't know if I actually LIKE Catherine Breillat films. Her films are a strange contradiction: On one hand, they contain a lot of pretty graphic sex and always feature some of the most attractive actresses in Europe (and this one with Asia Argento and Roxanne Mesquia is certainly no exception). On the other though, they are often very depressing and told with such a harsh feminist bent that they probably make most people (well, most men anyway)feel more like castrating themselves than getting turned on. ( I actually haven't even seen her most notorious film, "Fat Girl", but after the truly depressing experience that was the supposedly very similar "36 Fillete" I've never wanted to).You would expect then given Breillat's typical misanthropic bent that when she made a French costume drama like this one, the liaisons would be even more dangerous and the intentions even crueler. This is actually a surprisingly soft-hearted film though where all the main characters are pretty likable and sympathetic (at least in some ways). The only typically harsh Breillat touch is a couple having frenzied sex next to the funeral pyre of their dead daughter. The basic story involves a handsome young rake, who is about to marry a beautiful young heiress (Mesquia) with the blessing of her jaded-but-wise grandmother (who, since this is set in 1835, is herself a battle-scarred veteran of the original pre-revolutionary "dangerous liaison" era). He is unable to give up his long-time mistress, however, a social-climbing Spanish divorcée (Argento) with whom he has had a passionate ten year love-hate relationship. All the acting is very good and the characters believable (although you do have to wonder why a 19th Spanish noblewoman would have a tattoo on her butt). My only real complaint was that it was about a half an hour too long and the climax was pretty anti-climactic.If you like either French costume dramas or typical Catherine Breillat films, you may or may not like this, since it ends being very different than either. It's not too bad though.