Eric--
``Baise-moi'' has no real philosophy behind it (though there are guns shoved
into various behinds). Instead, it's animated by a mercenary attitude, a
cynical strategy to bring porn into the daylight of an ersatz memory of
Nouvelle Vague style, and maybe, make a quick franc or two. It is certainly
the phoniest European film of the past couple of years, a desperately poor
and unimaginative attempt to cash in on various trends, and not only Dogme,
but also the French cinema's mode for explicit on-screen sex. Some will tell
you that the movie's about a new way of expressing militant feminism, but
they're confused. Such expression requires clarity, and ``Baise-moi'' is
simply a string random drive-by hits in search of a connective thought. It
is generated by anger, but the anger is unexamined, reactionary,
jejeune--the work of amateurs hooked on the latest dose of shock. Philosophy
isn't part of their playbook. Beware of anyone who actually recommends
``Baise-moi,'' except as required viewing for those who must survey all that
exists in current French cinema. It is truly sad, empty stuff.
Happy Holidays,
Robert Koehler
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