Review of Mon Amour

Introduction

Marta (Anna Jimskaia) has been married to Dario (Max Parodi) for six months, but feels her love life is waning. Single, she and Dario used to make love anywhere but now he seems too tired to pay her the attention she desires. The film opens with Dario and Marta making love beneath a giant fresco of some Roman scene (that`s bound to be quite famous, highlighting my cultural ignorance). The passion ends fairly abruptly, with Dario falling asleep within seconds and Marta pouring her heart out into her diary.

We then learn that Marta and Dario are in Rome for the Mantova Festival Letteratura, a book fair, which Dario is attending as part of his work. Marta`s frustration leads to a chance encounter at a museum with a stranger who starts off taking pictures of her before virtually molesting her in public. Marta`s initial feelings of guilt melt under the stranger`s touch, and only the appearance of a tour party stop the couple going any further.

The following day Marta discovers that the stranger is called Leon (Riccardo Marino), and after meeting in a local café, the two embark on a torrid affair. Marta is still writing in her diary all her innermost thoughts, something that may come back to haunt her as it has been discovered by Dario.

Video

Some quite stunning visuals in play during this film, and I mean I was stunned to see them, such as large false penises and relentless close-ups of both female buttocks and genitalia.

Audio

Original soundtrack with a moody jazz score by Heron Borelli. Generously subtitled, although some grammatical errors.

Features

Nothing.

Conclusion

I`m not easily shocked, but considering that this is considered mainstream European cinema proves just how far we have to go in catching up with the tastes and sensibilities of our compatriots. I`ve never seen a Tinto Brass film before, and boy, does he have a thing for buttocks and genetalia! The number of close-ups of both in this film would need to be counted on an abacus rather than fingers, and the use of large fake penises adds a touch of ludicrousness to the whole thing.

In terms of plot, well it appears to be pretty simple. Marriage kills passion (ok, can sort of go with that…), it`s OK to fantasise about adultery, it`s OK to have a torrid affair and rub it in the nose of your husband despite his clear anger and despair, and then when you decide to finish it, it`ll all work out because the jealousy felt by your husband will turn him into the lover he once was, thus replacing the need to have another affair. Simple, but complete rubbish.

Morality aside, this is quite an eye opener. I can`t deny this is quite a well filmed and stylistic film, but there are shots that I just can`t imagine either in UK cinemas or on UK TV (not even five would dare to show this…). Brass clearly loves his sex scenes, and setting them in public too, with absolutely nothing left to the imagination. I understand that the use of rubber phalluses is down to film regulations rather than personal preference, but that doesn`t stop enough appearances of the real thing as well.

As much fun as it was to watch Anna Jimskaia have sex every ten minutes, I just couldn`t sympathise with her character at all. She struck me as completely selfish and not someone to be involved with seriously. Maybe that was Brass` point, but it`s an odd one for the primary character, especially considering she got everything she desired in the end.

I think it may be a while, if ever, though before this kind of film starts appearing in the British mainstream. That would be a shame, but then you know the saying:

No sex please, we`re British…