Si je t'aime, prends garde à toi (1998)
Directed by Jeanne Labrune

Film Review

The darker side of female sexuality is explored in this intensely passionate romantic drama, which courts controversy in virtually every scene.  Filmed with a shocking explicit realism, it is not a comfortable film to watch, and many will condemn it for its depiction of a woman offering herself as a willing participant in a violent sexual relationship.

The film is directed by Jeanne Labrune, a writer-director with fewer than half a dozen films to her name.  Despite Labrune's comparative inexperience, her direction shows a surprising degree of maturity and subtlety, as does her writing.

The film is shot from a female perspective, which is good in that it reinforces Nathalie Baye's remarkable performance and lends the piece cohesion and credibility.  The downside is that the male characters are portrayed as exaggerated stereotypes, and you could even say that the film is excessively demeaning towards men.  The main male character, Samuel, is obsessed with physical love and comes across as six foot tall phallus - the audience is not really given much of a chance to develop much empathy with the character, despite a very creditable performance by Daniel Duval.  The lesser male characters are each subjugated and humiliated in other ways, and this is to the film's detriment.

For those who are not put of by the film's strong feminine bias, or by the explicit images of sex and violence (some of which really are grotesque), this should be a compelling film, which builds to a tense thriller-like ending.

Film Synopsis

After separating from her partner, Muriel finds herself living alone in Paris, adapting badly to a life that feels increasingly dull and empty.  Her work as a screenwriter keeps her occupied but it is not enough to take her mind off her need for a life companion.  Then Samuel enters her life.  They first met on a train, and from that first moment Muriel felt an overwhelming attraction for the stranger.  When Samuel turns up at her flat not long afterwards it seems like a dream come true.  They make love with total abandon, and then part, neither yet willing to commit to a relationship.  Now, just a few weeks later, each scarcely knowing anything about the other, Muriel and Samuel have become inseparable, each obsessed with the other.

The relationship is intense but it is far from harmonious, and often it takes an unpredictable and violent turn.  Samuel clearly has no job, no money of his own and no place to live, but Muriel finds she cannot live without him.  Samuel is not the easiest of men to live with.  He prevents his partner from working, he takes her money with no sign of gratitude so he can throw it away at the gambling table, and he resorts to physical abuse to get his own way.  Muriel's friends become concerned and warn her that her new boyfriend looks like a dangerous type.  He certainly behaves aggressively towards her when he sees her in the company of other men.  In the end, Samuel's volcanic temperament becomes too much for Muriel and she must decide whether to continue on this joyride to hell or else get out whilst she still can...