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Movie:		4.0
Picture:		7.0
Sound:		7.0
Extras:		1.0
Score:		5.0

Writer(s):	Jean-Claude Brisseau
Starring:	Carole Brana • Arnaud Binard • Nadia Chibani • Lise Bellynck
Genre:	Drama • Foreign
Release Date:	January 12, 2010

List Price:	DVD - $22.49
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In my very short (so far) life, I have seen a lot of things I really didn’t want to. Women who wear purses that look like dead puppies, people who don’t understand that belts keep you from exposing yourself, and leggings paired with tops that don’t cover camel toe are among the things I see every day living in New York City. And yet, all of these things are preferable, nay, more artfully done that Jean-Claude Brisseau’s A l’aventure.

The third film in Brisseau’s trilogy focusing on female sexuality and erotic ecstasy, the film stars Carole Brana as Sandrine, a woman stuck in a sexual rut, so to speak. She meets a taxi driver at a party who verbally introduces her to all new ideas about how sexuality is a prison and bras are meant for support, and a whole bunch more rambling nonsense until she encounters Gregory. Gregory renews Sandrine’s sexual appetite through discussions of hypnosis and, of course, lots and lots of sex. He then introduces Sandrine to his former lover, Sophie, whom Sandrine immediately connects with.

Quite honestly, it’s not the overt sexuality of the movie that bothered me. It was all the freaking talking about why Sophie allows herself to be dominated by the architect and how to stop thinking and just be able to have the perfect orgasm. There are a lot of theoretical discussions and psychoanalytical discoveries that just didn’t really join together to form a feasible plot. With a basis that is so hard to understand and a minimalistic story line, the film ceases to be a tasteful creative endeavor and becomes closer to pornography than art. While I wouldn’t say that Brisseau’s intent is to offend his audience, it seems as though he is trying to resolve repressed issues by making a film instead of going to see a therapist.

The other major issue with this film is the length. With such sparse plot points and the density of the dialogue, 104 minutes go by slowly enough that you can feel each and every one go by. It drags and lulls, while each and every step of the way we are reminded that pleasure is fleeting and that love is something of a myth, until we are left 104 minutes older and infinitely more cynical. But on the bright side, if we’ve learned nothing else, we will be able to wax poetic and even a bit existentially about our carnal nature. Who doesn’t want that?

Although the story may not draw many viewers in with it’s over analysis of everything, the acting in this film is solid, especially among the leads. Both Brana and Arnaud Binard, who plays Gregory, are convincing in their roles, and the chemistry amongst all of the cast members is dynamic. All of the actors give themselves completely to their roles and are as believable as their characters are written to be. Sophie, played by Lise Bellynck, is especially well suited to this film. She is an absolutely fabulous actress, the shining star in this otherwise dismal flick and for me, the only real saving grace.

Regardless of whether you are drawn into this film or not, the real message here is one of not just sexual, but also personal, liberation. By considering things to be taboo and off limits, we are not allowing ourselves to discover who we truly are. I only wish there had been a way for Brisseau to clarify this point without making the movie even longer and more incomprehensible than it originally was.

DVD Bonus Features

The only bonus feature on this disc is the trailer. I have never been happier to see so few special features in all my life.