“Baise Moi” were indeed the words uttered from my lips on hearing a couple of weeks ago that this film had been recently passed completely uncut by the BBFC for the first time in the UK. This really had me pondering the implications of how it could affect other titles in the future? The problem with the film was not that it contained graphic violence or that it contained graphic sex but that it mixes them both together. Not only that but it contains sexual violence which is still very much a no no as far as our censors (or classifiers as they prefer to be termed) are concerned. Contentious titles such as I Spit On Your Grave, The House On The Edge Of The Park and The New York Ripper are still subject to being released in truncated versions in the UK and these are much older movies which are still causing problems. Baise Moi was directed by two female directors both with backgrounds in the porn industry in 2000. One of them Virginie Despentes wrote the novel which the film was based on and is said to be somewhat auto-biographical to her past. Along with co-director Coralie Trinh Thi who helped adapt it for the screen, this was going to have far reaching consequences not just in France but way beyond.
The film is an exploitation movie make no mistake and it is also very loosely tied in with the rape revenge flicks which became very popular stemming from the grindhouse era of the late 70’s and 80’s. I say loosely as this is not exactly rape revenge, and although it most definitely deals with rape (in full and horrifying penetrative depiction) the people committing it leave the frame afterwards having completely got away with what they have done. It could be said that the revenge here is enacted on French society as a whole with an indignant fuck you panache which has the film moving from one scene of nihilistic hatred to another in quick succession.
I have already covered the plot of the film in a lot of detail on my French Extreme Cinema articles and you can recap on this here if you wish.
http://www.avenoctum.com/2012/02/a-look-inside-french-extremity-part-two
Watching the film again now, its impact is as visceral as it was at the time of release.
One thing that should be stressed, as it is by the films co-directors in the extras here, is that the film is not pornography, which was something at the time that many people failed to grasp (a good analogy is used in that it is like trying to explain the Dead Kennedys to someone who only listens to classical music). Pornography is something that is simply used as a means of getting off with protracted scenes of penetration. In the film here they enhance the story and are not dwelled on or left to deliver the money shot. Of course pornography can loosely be used in films with narrative such as the roughies like Sex Wish, Femmes De Sade, Water Power, Forced Entry etc but that is a very tenuous link. At the time of release Baise Moi really stood on its own with the exception of other rare releases such as Tinto Brass infamous Caligula (another film the BBFC surprisingly relaxed their previous rulings on) and bona-fide rape-revenge flick Thriller A Cruel Picture. Since Baise Moi others in places like Germany with directors such as Andreas Bethmann have legitimately mixed the two extremes inventing what has been termed the gorno with movies like Rossa Venezia but these films are few and far between and exist solely in the underground and will never get passed by the likes of the BBFC fully uncut or I will happily eat whatever hat I am offered.
This step aside, the other reason that Baise Moi succeeds on so many levels is the feminist stance that it takes. This is explained partly along with the censorship battles that the film had to suffer at the time of release in France in the 40 minute extra segment on Arrow’s release and is the reason that fans of the film like me will want to have this and replace the American Remstar version of the film they no doubt already have. This was filmed right after the film was finished and is conducted with the co-directors along with two main stars Raffaela Anderson and Karen Lancaume. I found watching them talk about the film particularly interesting. Both had previously acted in porno films but had given them up and cut themselves off from the industry never wanting to return. Raffaela stated that she was going to be a whore again in undertaking her role and was told that she was going to be no more of a whore than working in a call centre but a much better paid one. She also completely found herself playing a part that could well have been her everyday life minus the rape and killing. Karen Lancaume found that the film although necessitating having sex was completely different than porno and that her character was strong and there was a lot of empowerment in the role. It is quite sad in a way as with hindsight one has to wonder if this is something she fully believed as she sadly committed suicide in 2005 at the age of 32.
Baise Moi is not a film for everyone, make no mistake and it is one that has divided critics and viewers alike. It is an edgy and dangerous movie but it is not one for quick titillation or one to leave you feeling happy after viewing. It is soaked in desperation and nihilism and there is not a single redeeming character in the movie. Perhaps the reason that the French culture minister suddenly reversed decision on allowing the film to be seen on release is worry about what exactly it would do to tourism and for that reason it is up there with the horrors of French new wave cinema like La Haine, Irreversible, Frontiers and Inside, showing the country to have more than its fair share of troubles and unrest.
Although only 12 seconds was cut out the original movie on UK release they do make a difference so you can throw your previous Vision Video copy in the bin. If you are in Hong Kong your version is a full 2 and a half minutes short so it is worth importing this but if you are in Australia Baise Moi is “strictly prohibited carrying a fine of up to 275 Oz dollars and 10 years in prison. Perhaps we have not got it so bad over here and this has left me wondering what the BBFC are going to do to surprise us next? Rumours that they are poised to spearhead a Joe D’amato collection fronted by a completely uncut Emanuelle In America are at present completely the stuff of fantasy though (we have enough problems with horses being where they shouldn’t be as it is).
It should also be mentioned that it is not worth hanging out for the Blu-ray release as the original digital print is not high quality enough for the medium to warrant a legitimate release. Besides a little bit of grain here and there just adds to the gritty grime of the movie itself. Of course a nice high def transfer could happen if the film were remade by the Hollywood moguls. Maybe with Kristen Stewart and Mila Kunis taking the lead and Penelope Spheeris directing? Baise Moi indeed!
(Pete Woods)
13/04/2013 at 5:37 pm
With all this good stuff you’re getting to review, it might be time to have a movie marathon at your gaff, a Petefest, as it were. As for a Hollywood remake? After the mess that was made of La Femme Nikita with the pointless “The Assassin”, no thanks!