Une liaison pornographique (1999)

Une liaison pornographique is a French romantic film drama first released in 1999, directed by Frédéric Fonteyne.  The film stars Nathalie Baye, Sergi López, Jacques Viala, Paul Pavel and Sylvie Van den Elsen.  It has also been released under the title: A Pornographic Affair.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


A forty-something woman places an ad in a newspaper for someone who is prepared to share her sexual fantasy.  A man, of about her own age, replies and, after corresponding via Minitel, they finally meet up in a café.  They have barely had time to open a conversation before the woman suggests they go off to the hotel room she has already booked.  The man agrees.  They repeat this little ritual three or four times a month and then decide to make love "the normal way".  Despite their attempts to keep their relationship strictly sexual, it soon becomes clear that they have formed a bond of emotional attachment...

In Une liaison pornographique, Belgian director Frédéric Fonteyne set out to demonstrate how difficult it is for a couple to have a passionate sexual relationship without falling in love along the way.  Stylish and original in its minimalist cinematography and sparse dialogue, the film has that bleak existentialist perspective which is often a feature of unconventional French romantic dramas.  Compelling performances from Nathalie Baye and Sergi López somehow give the film a sense of humanity and touching realism which appears to be lacking in the script.  Generally, however, the film feels cold and not particularly engaging, so that, whilst it is a comparatively short film, it places great demands on the spectator.

© James Travers 2002

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