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Baise Moi
Remstar // Unrated // December 18, 2001
List Price: $24.99 [Buy now and save at Dvdempire]
The Movie:
One of two highly controversial art-house movies this year (the other being "Center of the World") that found little or no success in theaters, "Baise Moi" is easily the more explicit of the two movies. The film was banned in France (although apparently, it has been or will be re-rated) and apparently had a difficult time getting into the Toronto film festival. As with "Center", it's also shot on digital video. While some consider DV a revolution in filmmaking, these films can either look slightly worse than film, but still presentable ("The Anniversary Party") or murky and grungy ("Center") - "Baise Moi" certainly falls completely into the second catagory.
"Baise Moi" is based upon the novel by co-director Virginie Despentes. While "Center of the World" came under fire for its graphic moments, "Baise Moi" is certainly far more explicit, with its story taking "Thelma and Louise" to extreme levels. The film revolves around Manu and Nadine (actresses Karen Bach and Raffaela Anderson), who meet up after one of them is raped in a horrifying scene early on. Enraged, the two women set off across the country in a sex-and-violence spree.
There's a fair deal to discuss about "Baise Moi". Firstly, the film is extremely graphic, both in terms of sexuality and violence - those who are easily offended will find this quite tough to sit through. I have previously noted that I haven't been too crazy about films done on digital video and "Baise Moi" doesn't really change that feeling; the film's gritty and grainy look doesn't really add anything to the proceedings except a rather amateurish feel.
The two lead actresses as well as one of the directors have been previously involved in the French adult film industry. There are moments throughout the film - some of the film's quieter moments - where these two women show they are capable of good performances. As for the film's louder moments, things do get too much after even 77 minutes, as the shocking scenes tend to overshadow anything else - it gets repetitive and tiring. There's not much detail to any of the characters or the story.
Those seeking a more powerful and more substancial, but less explicit French film should seek out Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 black and white film "La Haine", which contains extraordinary cinematography, performances and tension. It's still what I consider one of the strongest, most intense films I've seen in the past few years. Unfortunately, that film still awaits a Region 1 DVD release.
The DVD
VIDEO: The film is presented by Remstar in 1.33:1 full-frame. I'm guessing that is not the film's original aspect ratio, but I can't say for sure: 1.66:1 would probably be my best guess. The presentation is, again, shot on digital video - the result is, at least in this case, a picture that appears noticably a bit soft and considerably grainy. While the grain isn't always heavy, it is always at least noticable.
Some other flaws occur, but the presentation wasn't as bad as I'd expected - at least the film seemed free of print flaws and all but very minor pixelationa nd edge enhancement. Colors seemed natural and crisp, with no smearing or other problems. Certainly, this is a gritty and raw looking picture to begin with, but at least there aren't any further flaws to add distraction.
SOUND: "Baise Moi" is presented in French 2.0 and the audio is about as rough as the visuals. The soundtrack is a mix of French techno/rock and generally comes through with decent clarity. Dialogue sounds a bit rough (although I couldn't understand it anyway, given I don't speak French). Subtitles (although rather small subtitles, they are) are provided.
MENUS:: Respectably animated main and sub-menus, with clips and decent background animation.
EXTRAS: Trailer, website (although the pictures are very small and you can't really interact, so I'd say it's more of a preview), press reviews and poster/photo galleries. Although I didn't like the movie and didn't find much to it, I still would have liked to hear what the filmmakers were trying to present - unfortunately, there are no interviews, there's no commentary, nothing of the sort.
Final Thoughts: "Baise Moi" intends to be shocking, but I often simply found it depressing and tiring. Remstar's DVD edition provides the digital video film with rough audio/video, as I'm sure the film has probably always appeared this raw looking. Supplements are minimal and really don't provide any insight as to what the directors were trying to accomplish with the film. Those who are still interested might want to try a rental.
One of two highly controversial art-house movies this year (the other being "Center of the World") that found little or no success in theaters, "Baise Moi" is easily the more explicit of the two movies. The film was banned in France (although apparently, it has been or will be re-rated) and apparently had a difficult time getting into the Toronto film festival. As with "Center", it's also shot on digital video. While some consider DV a revolution in filmmaking, these films can either look slightly worse than film, but still presentable ("The Anniversary Party") or murky and grungy ("Center") - "Baise Moi" certainly falls completely into the second catagory.
"Baise Moi" is based upon the novel by co-director Virginie Despentes. While "Center of the World" came under fire for its graphic moments, "Baise Moi" is certainly far more explicit, with its story taking "Thelma and Louise" to extreme levels. The film revolves around Manu and Nadine (actresses Karen Bach and Raffaela Anderson), who meet up after one of them is raped in a horrifying scene early on. Enraged, the two women set off across the country in a sex-and-violence spree.
There's a fair deal to discuss about "Baise Moi". Firstly, the film is extremely graphic, both in terms of sexuality and violence - those who are easily offended will find this quite tough to sit through. I have previously noted that I haven't been too crazy about films done on digital video and "Baise Moi" doesn't really change that feeling; the film's gritty and grainy look doesn't really add anything to the proceedings except a rather amateurish feel.
The two lead actresses as well as one of the directors have been previously involved in the French adult film industry. There are moments throughout the film - some of the film's quieter moments - where these two women show they are capable of good performances. As for the film's louder moments, things do get too much after even 77 minutes, as the shocking scenes tend to overshadow anything else - it gets repetitive and tiring. There's not much detail to any of the characters or the story.
Those seeking a more powerful and more substancial, but less explicit French film should seek out Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 black and white film "La Haine", which contains extraordinary cinematography, performances and tension. It's still what I consider one of the strongest, most intense films I've seen in the past few years. Unfortunately, that film still awaits a Region 1 DVD release.
The DVD
VIDEO: The film is presented by Remstar in 1.33:1 full-frame. I'm guessing that is not the film's original aspect ratio, but I can't say for sure: 1.66:1 would probably be my best guess. The presentation is, again, shot on digital video - the result is, at least in this case, a picture that appears noticably a bit soft and considerably grainy. While the grain isn't always heavy, it is always at least noticable.
Some other flaws occur, but the presentation wasn't as bad as I'd expected - at least the film seemed free of print flaws and all but very minor pixelationa nd edge enhancement. Colors seemed natural and crisp, with no smearing or other problems. Certainly, this is a gritty and raw looking picture to begin with, but at least there aren't any further flaws to add distraction.
SOUND: "Baise Moi" is presented in French 2.0 and the audio is about as rough as the visuals. The soundtrack is a mix of French techno/rock and generally comes through with decent clarity. Dialogue sounds a bit rough (although I couldn't understand it anyway, given I don't speak French). Subtitles (although rather small subtitles, they are) are provided.
MENUS:: Respectably animated main and sub-menus, with clips and decent background animation.
EXTRAS: Trailer, website (although the pictures are very small and you can't really interact, so I'd say it's more of a preview), press reviews and poster/photo galleries. Although I didn't like the movie and didn't find much to it, I still would have liked to hear what the filmmakers were trying to present - unfortunately, there are no interviews, there's no commentary, nothing of the sort.
Final Thoughts: "Baise Moi" intends to be shocking, but I often simply found it depressing and tiring. Remstar's DVD edition provides the digital video film with rough audio/video, as I'm sure the film has probably always appeared this raw looking. Supplements are minimal and really don't provide any insight as to what the directors were trying to accomplish with the film. Those who are still interested might want to try a rental.
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