House of Pleasures [Import]

To call this film "sexy" is to miss the point. Admittedly there are a number of beauties on display each night in this bordello (and Bonello is not above allowing and even inviting us to gaze at them), but this is a film about the institutional and state-sanctioned exploitation of women. There is most definitely an erotic quality to the women in various states of undress but they are only eroticized when they are alone or with other women; when with men, there's nothing erotic about this film's images of sex --which are presented as acts of commerce between privileged aristocrats and the debt-ridden underclass of women who they cruelly exploit on a nightly basis --unless one finds images of the ritual subjugation of women erotic (Susan Sontag, were she alive today, would certainly have much to say on this topic). The interest here is in the individual stories of each sex worker--not one of them enjoys what she does for a living, one even swears she will never have sex again once she leaves the bordello. While the interiors of this bordello are lush and exotic and inspire male fantasies of responsibility-free sensuality, the realities are that these escapist fantasies veil abuse, exploitation, disease and death.

The film moves slowly and makes rather overt nods to both Kubrick's now revered Eyes Wide Shut and De Palma's under-rated Black Dahlia. But in two surprising instances its languid pace is punctuated by anachronistic blues rock songs. Especially powerful is the use of the Moody Blues haunting "Nights in White Satin" that functions as a painfully lyric ode to female suffering.

Recommended viewing alongside House of Pleasures: Pretty Baby, Louis Malle's 1978 classic of prosititution in New Orleans fabled Storyville.

I saw a review of this movie last year on TV and it looked interesting, so I watched a Netflix rental of it last night. I have to say it wasn't what I expected - for a film about a bordello it's the least arousing movie imaginable - and yet it's extremely moving, beautifully photographed and designed, and well-acted. I won't say it's uplifting but it's certainly enlightening. The women's experience in, and attitude towards, their profession is presented in great detail. Their feelings towards their customers are mostly negative and one woman states she will never have sex again after leaving the bordello, which is understandable after watching the entire film. The women find affection only among themselves. I found the sequence in which one of the more experienced girls initiates a newcomer to be very interesting.

I'm not sure who I'd recommend this movie to, since I think many people might be put off by the subject matter (much like our friend who posted the one-star review) but I think it's a great achievement and deserves to be watched with an open mind and heart. It's difficult to watch at times and as one reviewer said, it's definitely in the "artsy" film category, but I found it extremely moving and I loved the performances of all the actresses playing the prostitutes. Check it out for yourself. If you are offended by nudity - full frontal, often, both sexes - probably best to steer clear, but if you appreciate a well-made, provocative, and thought-provoking movie, I really do recommend it. It's so beautiful to look at, and it will haunt you for days.

This film is lush, multi-dimensional, and uncomfortably moving. I related to this story as a woman. It's romantic, sad, and at times haunting. I didn't want it to end.