A happily married wife and mother with a promiscuous secret life must confront the consequences her choices have for her family and career when a scandal threatens to shed light on her affairs, in this introspective drama about the nature, limits, and consequences of desire.
Marie-Claire is happily married with two children and has a successful career as a dermatological researcher. Her promiscuous and fun-loving best friend Mathilde longs to settle down and have a child. For Marie-Claire, however, the love and security of marriage does not mean sacrificing her desire. She pursues men with the same voracity as her single friend but sets practical boundaries to keep extramarital sex without strings.
Marie-Claire is frank and pragmatic about the distinction between love and desire. She understands the conventions of being a wife and mother and chooses to live outside of them without remorse. When a scandal goes public at her university, Marie-Claire is concerned about what might be revealed about herself in the process, and she is forced to consider the implications of her choices on her professional life, husband, and teenage daughter.
Privately, Marie-Claire owns her choices. But she also knows that her pleasure is political and that when certain lines get crossed, blowback and judgment will be inevitable.
Renée Beaulieu’s second feature is an astonishing tour de force and incisive character study that delves into the nature and politics of female sexuality. Brigitte Poupart’s commanding and unwavering performance as Marie-Claire brilliantly renders the interior space of a woman who lives on her own terms as she explores the multi-faceted manifestations of her desire.
DANIS GOULET
Screenings
Scotiabank 4
Scotiabank 7
Jackman Hall
Scotiabank 8