Directed by:
Roman PolańskiCinematography:
Tonino Delli ColliComposer:
VangelisCast:
Hugh Grant, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner, Peter Coyote, Victor Banerjee, Stockard Channing, Patrick Albenque, Geoffrey Carey, Ysé Tran (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Nigel Dobson (Hugh Grant) is an English perfect gentleman, married to equally respectable Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas). On a cruise heading for India, they meet a highly unconventional couple, American unpublished would-be literary celebrity Oscar, in a wheelchair, and his much younger Parisian wife, Mimi. Oscar insists to tell his unsettling life story to Nigel, who is too polite to refuse although its gore content, shamelessly explicit details and foul Yankee language rather disgust the well-bred Brit, yet becomes also fascinated. Oscar tells how he found by chance in Mimi a willing partner for sex, ever pushing their boundaries. When he tires of spiraling passionate devotion to her, the tables turn: Mimi begs Oscar to stay with her at any price, and gets what she bargained for, sadistic scorn and abuse till she's a mere shadow of her former self, yet is finally abandoned on a flight to Martinique. Later Oscar has a car accident, and Mimi returns to Paris to make sure he is condemned to a wheelchair for life, this time utterly dependent on her, no longer free to choose accepting her abuse, yet they get married. Meanwhile Fiona tires of waiting for Nigel during Oscar's story sessions and spends time with flirtatious Italian Dado. During the New year's Eve party, things come to a surprisingly real and personal closure, not in the least for Nigel. (Arrow Films)
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Reviews (7)
"Have you ever felt real, overpowering passion?!" From the first minute, I felt that, like Nigel, I was being drawn almost against my will into the destructive psychological game of two self-destructive individuals, and I knew that there would be no happy ending. A study that hurts in the deepest places.
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Roman Polanski is able to brilliantly capture the human psyche, human desire, and even human lust. The story, narrated here by the protagonists themselves and which ultimately unfolds and crescendos, is incredibly sexy but in a destructive way, leaving you with a lingering feeling that you want to escape. The characters may not succeed. Well-chosen actors!
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I’d always had Polanski as a competent filmmaker, but so far none of his films had managed to captivate me. Between him, as a creator, and me, as a viewer, I’d always felt some sort of barrier that wouldn’t let me tune into the same vibes. Until now. Bitter Moon finally did it. I really dove into this study about an unhealthy relationship during a sea cruise, and I enjoyed it. The experience was both pleasant and unpleasant at the same time.
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In Roman Polanski's filmography, this is a relatively lesser-known piece, especially compared to The Fearless Vampire Killers or Rosemary's Baby. However, it's one of his best films - personally, I rank it third after The Pianist and the drama Death and the Maiden. It's a fateful psychological drama of a couple torn apart by sexual passion, jealousy, and mutual dependence, which escalates into hatred. Strong performances and a script that manages to depict the pathology of a love relationship without delving into unnecessary vulgarity. Overall impression: 85%.
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From the very first shot it is devilishly sophisticated and deceiving, and a grandiose depiction of the pure dehumanization of a relationship between two people. All this against the depressing backdrop of a ship or the darkened streets of Paris – your typical neo-noir Polanski of the late eighties/early nineties. It's fascinating how emotionally complex this fresco is and yet it flows with the ease and agility of a racy erotic thriller. One of the director's best films, which you come to like gradually, over time, through a tough skin.
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