The Last Mistress

Erotic period romance

• Written by Catherine Breillat; based on a novel by Jules-Amédée Barbey d’Aurevilly
• Directed by Catherine Breillat

Judging from what little of her work I’ve seen, Catherine Breillat is an erratically brilliant creator of individual scenes, but a mediocre one of whole movies (I admit that I haven’t seen the very well-reviewed Fat Girl). And her best scenes are always sex scenes. Few filmmakers can build so much drama, character development, and eroticism into a scene of two naked people pumping away.

Actually, by Breillat’s standards, The Last Mistress is pretty tame. The camera avoids actual genitalia, and there is no unsimulated sex (at least that I could identify). Breillat calls this her “most accessible film for the general public–this one does not break any taboos.” Nevertheless, I doubt this will get an R rating when it gets its American theatrical release.

Based on an 1851 novel, The Last Mistress concerns itself with the sex lives of the rich and noble-born. Asia Argento pretty much owns the movie as Vellini, an exotic woman of wild sensuality and the long-time mistress of Ryno (Fu’ad Ait Aattou). But Ryno is now in love with, and wants to marry, the far more acceptable Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida). Past indiscretions become a problem–especially since they may not be truly past.

All this is done with the sumptuous costumes and scenery one expects in such a period piece, of course. That’s appropriate, because this is essentially one of those old-time romances about an uncontrollable love (or lust) that cannot die.

The Last Mistress works best in a long flashback that dominates the middle of the picture. It’s here that we really get to know Vellini for the strange and impulsive person she is. This is a women who will cut her lover’s cheek with a knife so she can lick his blood.

In other words, she’s strange and sexy, but not especially realistic. But then, she’s a Spaniard who is described as looking “Moorish,” which by the conventions of 19^th Century novels makes her an exotic Oriental.

Unfortunately, The Last Mistress sags horribly before the flashback begins, and not-so-horribly-but-still-not-good after its over. The good parts don’t quite earn it a B, but they’re close.

The Last Mistress screened at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival.