…In a brutal twist, her true objective is revealed at films end as she deftly turns conventional wisdom upside down about woman as emotional victims of the male ego…
Why is it that almost everyone who has written about this film, in the first instance,
delves into the idiosyncrasies of its Director Catherine Breillet? This is noted with most reviews of her work. The ever-provocative filmmaker is known to quite literally throw punches at her audiences through rampant sex in your face eroticism, usually between disturbed albeit realistic, human entities and in most all cases, from the feminine psychological standpoint. Not that I believe that she delights in polarizing her addressees, indeed, the viewer’s enjoyment will hinge on whether they have an appreciation of not merely the erotic, but foreign film in general. Controversy and attention has continually been routine for Breillet. As a 17 year old, her first novel was so racy that the author was technically not permitted to buy her own book. Her first film, “A real young girl”, was banned and literally shelved for a quarter of a century. To this day, it seems the cinema world cannot find consensus on the filmmaker for she is put down by some and thoroughly commended by others. For those who have not experienced her work, Brief Crossing may prove a worthy introduction as it is positively more accessible than either Romance, or Anatomy of Hell. The film examines both a middle-aged woman’s desire and her apparent take on men; she is a late thirty something and he, an archetypal teenage male. This is something Breillet has done before however, in this case, there are fewer shocks.
A sexual attraction and subsequent one nightstand between a naïve young man and a much older woman, is the subject of exploration here. Gilles Guillain plays Thomas, a classic French boy who catches the liner, Pride of Le Havre, from Le Havre to Portsmouth. During the overnight journey, he meets Alice (Sarah Pratt) the seasoned and sexy English woman who is more than twice his age. In a cafeteria, the shy young man tells her that he is a tad older than his true age, likes a cigarette or two and hates school. She reveals a little about her life; she likes photography and that she is separated from her husband who seemed to have lost interest in her. There is little if anything in common between them, but this does nothing to detract from the sexual apprehension. Thomas takes cues from his environ as he steers hard toward a possible union of bodies. Finally, after the usual concoction of moves and phrases, she invites him to her cabin. The physical interaction is tender (not to be taken literally) with Alice coming out the least affected. In a brutal twist, her true objective is revealed at films end as she deftly turns conventional wisdom upside down about woman as emotional victims of the male ego.
The film embodies two evident but often not so transparent elements of relationships and sexual politics. We witness classic and hackneyed battle of the sexes matter from a feminine viewpoint as Alice slates men in relationships, relating to them as if nothing but users and abusers who treat woman as disposable lighters for their own personal whims. It is customary cynicism, the jilted woman purportedly running from a failed marriage.
However, things are not as they seem (spoiler to come). You see, in the end, we discover that Alice is indeed married and has a child. One can assume that her earlier dialogue was either a dishonest distraction to delay and heighten the inevitable unification of flesh or, a not so neutral stance on the part of Breillet in terms of gender politics. Back to Alice, why did she do it? Is she a control freak seeking to take advantage of an impassioned teenager knowing all the while that she could guide and dominate at will? On the other hand, was it purely a case of enacting fantasy?
Brief Crossing reminds us about the common misconception that woman do not fantasize like males, that they are merely romantics more so than sexual beings. In the 1970’s Nancy Friday’s research showed us that woman not only fantasize but can also be perverse and kinky in thought and deed perhaps depending on where they are in the menstrual cycle. Here we see Alice possibly enacting a combination of commonly documented fantasies. “Sex with a stranger” – you do not have to see each other again, no emotional baggage, it is very naughty and one can be openly sexual without fear of being labeled. “Being sexually desirable” – the need to be wanted and desired by someone other than your spouse. “To be in charge” – today’s woman is dominant in society and some wish to bring that dominance into the bedroom, to be the heroin of the fantasy. Last but not least, “Older woman, younger man” – we recall Demi Moore proudly holding the hand of Ashton Kutcher, some 20 years her junior. The media screamed that this was not uncommon. It is conceivable that for Alice it was all just about sex and fantasy. After all, and older woman’s sexual peak is more closely attuned to that of a much younger male.
The film exudes the kind of eroticism that is classic Breillet. Sarah Pratt is no Angelina Jolie, more "plain Jane", but such is the overall effect, that your atypical cannot wait for her to undress. Full marks to the Director for the sexual tension she creates and the way it absorbs the viewer. Look out for the astute camerawork, which beautifully captures the person, the character, the emotion and tension. The photographic technique speaks when dialogue is absent; the visuals become part of the storytelling.
Enjoy Brief Crossing for its honest delivery of eroticism and human craving and remember as you watch, that it is not only foreign film, but created in the Breillet universe. In the end, make your own judgement about Alice’s behaviour.
