Using the fact that it was banned in its native France, Baise-Moi is a film that continually seeks to cash in on controversy. From the title—which literally translates to ‘F*ck Me’--through to the hardcore sex (with actual penetration in the majority of the scenes), brutal violence, and to the fact that our antiheroes are women, everything here seems designed to cause outrage.

Is it really outrageous though? Most critics would say yes, but I tend to disagree. While the film certainly tries to make itself into more than what it really is by adding some sort of half-assed feminist manifesto to the proceedings, once you get past that and view Baise-Moi as what it truly is—an exploitation flick with pornographic underpinnings—the film becomes much more entertaining. This is feminism from the Ms. 45 and I Spit on Your Grave school of thought—women empowered in the way that men would find interesting instead of any kind of real empowerment at all.

That’s intriguing, since the film was directed by two women—Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi (who’s an adult film actress). One would assume that since women were at the helm that at least the feminist ideals would ring true—but they don’t. The main characters of Manu (Raffaela Anderson) and Nadine (Karen Bach) are little more than stylized versions of every man’s fantasy/nightmare—women who like to f*ck and are aggressive about it, but likely to kill you instead of cuddle afterwards.

However, unlike Mickey and Mallory (Oliver Stone’s ‘Natural Born Killers’), Despentes wants us to believe that Manu and Nadine were made into murderers by the male dominated world around them. Manu is savagely raped, then kills her boyfriend when he’s more concerned with who did it than how she feels. Nadine snaps when her nagging flatmate b*tches once too often and her drug addict friend is gunned down in the street. The world of Baise-Moi is a man’s world—until Manu and Nadine decide to turn the tables.

The two meet up through a chance encounter—and take a road trip to the sea. Once Manu reveals her misdeed and Nadine is unfazed by it, and a friendship is formed. From there, the two decide to ‘let rip their motherf*cker side’ and go on a murderous rampage that can only end badly.

Anderson and Bach are surprisingly good in the lead roles. Both are adult film stars in Europe (which was a necessity given the amount of hardcore sex in the film), but each does a nice job handling the non-sex scenes as well. Anderson, in particular, is intriguing—she’s got a screen presence that is magnetic and I kept finding myself wanting to know more about her character.

Unfortunately, the script holds the film back. For all its delusions of feminist grandeur, it’s really just a formula exploitation film. Despentes keeps the hardcore sex and violence coming at a fever pitch and tries to cram her commentary and character development into the seven minute breaks between each extreme act. Because of this, neither the characters nor the social commentary is ever developed.

Most critics have been bothered by the hardcore sex and violence. While the sex is fairly extreme—particularly by the puritanical standards of America—the violence is hardly shocking. What many critics have failed to acknowledge is what really bothers them about Baise-Moi is that the sex and violence are so closely linked (there’s a symbiotic relationship between the two makes each seem more tawdry than it would alone—the sex makes the violence seem more brutal, and the violence makes the sex seem more sleazy—it’s one of the few things that the film manages to do brilliantly) and that the antiheroes are women. I can think of a dozen similar films where men were the aggressors and none of them created the same kind of furor as Baise-Moi.

The film itself was shot on digital video, and it’s often grainy. The style is, as my colleague John Nesbit points out, reminiscent of the Dogme films—albeit not as good. I found that the grainy video and amateurish camera work was to the film’s advantage though. In many ways, Baise-Moi has a cinema verite feel to it. I was also often reminded of Man Bites Dog while watching it.

Ultimately, Baise-Moi is a film with a very limited audience. The sex and violence all but guarantee most audiences will walk out in disgust long before the final scene. Because of this, the controversy surrounding the film seems almost necessary—it’s a grand old marketing ploy that plays on the tried and true notion that sex and violence often sell. It’s a shame that the hybridized elements of the film don’t come together in a more cohesive fashion—because if they had, Baise-Moi could have been a landmark film. Instead, it’s a decent exploitation flick that’s full of sound and fury, but often signifies nothing.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age