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| DIRECTED BY |
| Roman Polanski |
| STARRING |
| Hugh Grant |
| Kristin Scott Thomas |
| Emmanuelle Seigner |
| Peter Coyote |
 |
Sometimes Roman Polanski manages to hit just the right notes as far as luridness and eroticism in his films go, and sometimes he just goes overboard (perhaps that pun was intended.) That theory applies very accurately to �Bitter Moon,� considering the fact that its study of an intensely sexual relationship between a struggling American author and a sexy Parisian girl is commonly intriguing to watch when it stays on track, but when the script wavers into what seems like exploitative territory, it just gets ridiculous.
Hugh Grant�s character basically serves only as a dialogue inciter throughout the film; he sits down and listens to Peter Coyote (who gives a devilishly appealing performance here) and then we travel into flashbacks which comprise about three fourths of the film. The idea of showing us how the etiquette and morality of one man is affected when indecency and immorality is imposed upon him manages to get mildly interesting, but then Polanski destroys any sort of suspense that the main story between the actual characters on the ship had with a juvenile ending. By then end, I was actually left with the thought that Polanski and his screenwriters didn�t really have any good idea of how to finish this film off, so they decided to just throw in a little lesbianism and call it a day.
But through that lackluster denouement, Polanski�s stylish direction does shine through many times here � the first few flashbacks, showing us the beginnings of Oscar and Mimi�s relationship and its subsequent perversity, are quite memorable (how about that milk scene?) And Polanski�s choice of framing is often impeccably thoughtful � in a late scene between Oscar and Mimi at a park bench, we see what appears to be the moon shining brightly behind Mimi�s head. These little details prove that Polanski is a filmmaker who can make beautiful compositions without having to be kinetic with the camera. Speaking of Mimi: I hope Emmanuelle Seigner received much praise for her performance when this film was released, because, at times, she actually managed to make me believe that someone could really love another with such undying authenticity as her character does in this film.
I�m not quite sure if it had been done before this film, but I liked the idea of having the camera sway with the boat, instilling a sort of sea-sick feeling within the viewer as well as the characters. But then Polanski kills much of his professionalism by throwing in completely unnecessary scenes; one involving a man throwing up and another involving a guy in a bunny suit doing karate moves come to mind. Don�t be so stupid, Roman!
Polanski doesn�t make any comprises with his storyline here; that�s evident considering its 138 minute run time. This decision certainly allows him to develop his characters well, but at times, that lack of conciseness causes the film to veer its audience into boredom. Overall, �Bitter Moon� has its moments of intrigue, but it ultimately crumbles under the weight of ridiculously implausible plot decisions.
