Une Vieille Maitresse

This film is © by Studio Canal, 2008
This film is being distributed in the US as "The Last Mistress"

Starring:

Asia Argento as Vellini
Fu'ad Ait Aattou as Ryno de Marigny
Roxane Mesquida as Hermangarde
Anne Parillaud as Madame de Solcy
Amira Casar as Mademoiselle Divine des Airelles

Directed by : Catherine Breillat

RATING:

Frennch with English Subtitles

Une Vieille Maitresse is the latest work of Catherine Breillat, known as "the bad girl of intellectual French cinema." She's a good director who does not shy away from presenting her true vision of a film and this film is no exception. Set in Paris, France of 1835 a young woman named Hermangarde is soon to be married to a man named Ryno. This is a marriage orchestrated by her grandmother, Madame de Solcy who raises many eyebrows with the selection she makes for her granddaughter. Ryno has a questionable past and his involvement with a strange woman for many years has earned him such a reputation. This woman is Vellini, a Spanish woman from Malaga who lives quite an unorthodox life. She ends up being Ryno's mistress and it is feared that her shadow will always be present in Hermangarde and Ryno's marriage.

The plot is simple and the heart of the story lies on a series of flashbacks told by Ryno. It is the relationship between him and Vellini that is the focus of the film. The film presents all the characters and lets the viewer examine them in order to develop an opinion on them. The film then goes into its flashbacks and we get to see how all these characters got to where they are in the present and force the viewer to reconsider their first impressions. I thought that was kind of clever and makes a point that life is a bit more complex than what is apparent on the surface. The relationship between Vellini and Ryno is a bit odd yet so powerful it borders on being destructive. This is important to the rest of the story as Ryno is about to marry Hermangarde where it is not quite clear what direction he will take once he is married.

While the plot is very lively, the acting in this film is top notch. I was very much surprised with the performance of Asia Argento. I must say I have never seen this side of her (no pun intended). Argento is best known for showing a lot of skin and while she does not disappoint in this area, her performance here is outstanding. She plays a very complex and passionate woman who has many different sides to her personality. She is the center of this movie and the film overflows with her charisma. You won't find something like that in anything Hollywood makes. The viewer clearly sees and feels what draws Ryno to her to the point where you can really relate to his character even if you don't always agree with his actions.

I thought the film lagged a little bit towards the end yet when it makes its final point it does it with convincing force. Perhaps some of the scenes could have been presented better here yet maybe the director used this to create doubt in the viewer. This is a pretty solid movie and I do recommend it to everyone. Some may have problems with the strong French flavor of the film but for me that was something I really enjoyed. The central characters are always intriguing and the plot will keep you interested. There is a great deal of humanity in this movie, both positive and negative. The film does not try to pass judgment on any of its players but presents them in a matter of fact sort of way and leaves it up to the viewer to decide. This was really entertaining and I wouldn't mind seeing it again.