| Q | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Laurent Bouhnik |
| Written by | Laurent Bouhnik |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Dominique Colin |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Ernest Saint Laurent |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Q (released in the United States as Desire)[1] is a 2011 French erotic drama film written and directed by Laurent Bouhnik.[2][3]
Set in Cherbourg, France and in a social context deteriorated by a countrywide economic crisis, the life of several people are turned upside down after they meet Cecile, a character who symbolizes desire. Cecile is a 20-year-old woman whose father recently died and she sets about to push aside her grief by having sexual relations with various lovers, both people she knows and strangers. But her objectives are more than simply seeking pleasure, she also tries to help others reach fulfillment .
Chance is Cecile's sometime boyfriend and a petty criminal who loves her, but he cannot satisfy her, partly because he is constantly in trouble with and running from other criminals. Matt is an auto mechanic friend of Chance whose is constantly pushing his girlfriend Alice to have sex with him, but she comes from a strict family and is not ready. Cecile flirts her way through the movie. In several instances the flirting leads to sex, but in other instances she is trying to teach the men (or women) patience. She also gives advice to her friends about how and how not to pleasure men and women.
The movie opens with a blue tinted black & white scene where a number of women are walking around in shower room talking about sex, their partners, pleasure, and other topics around sex. The women are shown only from the knees to the waist, with only the voices to potentially identify the characters. Progressions of this scene are interspersed throughout the movie where the women discuss more, more of them is shown, and the begin to dress, leading to the ending scenes.
As the movie progresses we follow the characters as the deal with their lives and relationships. Chance and his friends are trying to make a buck while antagonizing other criminals and running from them. Matt is working and trying to sleep with Alice. At a small gathering from friends, Cecile gets two of her female friends together, one a lesbian and the other inexperienced. They end up in the bedroom together, the sound of pleasure coming through the walls making Cecile smile and the other friends uncomfortable.
After more of Chance and Matt and their troubles, we find Cecile on a ferry boat listening in on a conversation a couple is having, during which she flirts with the man. He later follows her out onto the deck where he propositions her. Cecile turns him down, but gives him her number. Alice is also on the boat and watches this play out. Later back at the couples house, we find that the wife has had a traumatic experience which makes it difficult for her to have sex. They discuss having sex with Cecile and get aroused, but the wife's troubles prevent anything from happening.
Gathering at a bar that night the various friends meet up and some end up pairing off. Chance and Cecile go back to his place for unfulfilling sex. The two female roommates end up in a car. And then the next shower scene arrives, this time with the women shown from the shoulders to the knees in the same blue tinted format as they talk about sexual encounters - one women sharing how she met a stranger though a misdialed phone call and ended up meeting him in a hotel room.
We then see others around town having scintillating conversations, meeting up and kissing, on the phone meeting people, etc. Cecile and her friends meet up at one of the girls apartment to move out her stuff - she is behind in the rent and is trying to move out before the landlord catches her. During this Celine gets a phone call and this leads to Celine meeting the husband from the boat in a beach hut for sex. Another shower room scene ensues, but this time the women are starting to get dressed - again in the blue tinted black and white with an occasional pop of color such as red panties or stockings.
On the next ferry ride, Cecile meets Alice when both are being hit on by older men. Cecile takes one of the mens cell phones, gets Alice involved, and then walks off. They meet again and go into a bathroom to hide and talk. After a while Cecile begins touching Alice and begins pleasing her. Getting off the boat, Cecile meets the wife of the man she was with at the beach. They talk and the wife opens up. Later Cecile asks Alice to help her with something - it turns out she is helping the couple address the issues they are having. She has Alice help the couple to meet up wearing blindfolds so they can have sex and fix their relationship.
More shenanigans with Chance and his friends and he meets Matt. Followed by the scene of the women this time - now with more color, getting dressed and putting on makeup. They are talking about female empowerment through controlling men and choosing who they have sex with. THey have arranged a party where they invited men to have sex with, but the men must pay them. Meanwhile, Celine has arranged for Alice to wait for Matt somewhere so that they can be alone and have sex.
Chance shows up at the party to take Cecile outside. He has brought her fathers ashes which she never dealt with. He challenges her to take care of herself as she is trying to help others. They get in his car, he tells her "I love you" and they drive off. As they drive along the coast, Cecile spreads her fathers ashes. Unable to find inner peace through various sexual encounters with Chance, Matt and even Alice, Cecile finally discovers another path to healing and tells Chance that she loves him "even though it won't be easy".
