You expect sex and controversy from a movie by Bernardo Bertolucci, a man who once referred to Hollywood as “the big nipple” in an Oscar acceptance speech. Indeed, the majority of his latest film, The Dreamers, rated NC-17, is a tit bit nipply. French actors Luis Garrel and Eva Green and American Michael Pitt bare all in a tale of sexual seclusion and revolutionary ideals amidst the Parisian riots of 1968.
Isabelle (Green) and Theo (Garrel), children and intellectual products of a renowned French writer, meet Michael, an American expatriate, who shares their passion for film. At their invitation, Michael stays the month at their mysterious home while their parents are away in the country.
What begins as an innocent post-adolescent sleepover quickly turns into an erotic month-long sexual escapade—beginning with Michael, as he trips through the house for a midnight pee, discovering the naked bodies of the brother and sister intertwined amidst crimson velour.
Soon after, Michael becomes an innocent bystander during their “name that film” game, a seemingly harmless play on charades until Isabel makes Theo “pay the forfeit” for forgetting the name of a film. She forces him to masturbate to his poster of Marlene Dietrich in front of her and their American guest.
As Michael witnesses this act, he is incorporated into the twisted world of the siblings, who claim to be Siamese twins who are mentally connected. Despite having been found in a compromising position previously, the two are not connected by the act of love-making. Instead, we watch Michael take Isabelle’s virginity on the kitchen floor as Tho also scrambles eggs.
As key as sexual games are to the revolutionary themes in this movie, it seems that in several cases Bertolucci merely uses sex as a tool to make his audiences fidget with their cell phones. Several gratuitous close-ups of male and female erogenous zones along with scenes of intimate interaction with sexual by-products just make the viewer question Bertolucci’s commitment to quality filmmaking and confirms his old man perversion.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Bertolucci’s first pick for Micheal’s character, turned down the role because of this sexual explicitness. Of course, it’s arguable that the shock value of Bertolucci’s films is part of their charm. His film Last Tango in Paris is famous for its sordid sex scenes and Before the Revolution for its incestuous relationship between a maturing boy and his aunt.
Another of Bertolucci’s hallmarks is his masterful cinematography, vividly displayed in The Dreamers with a wheel of grandmotherly reminiscent color and yellowing-white light. The tour Bertolucci gives us of the twins’ Parisian flat is eerie, like a ride through a haunted house, constantly romping through shadowed hallways, from daunting door frames to the wanton and mischievous characters behind them.
The new ingenue on the scene, Green makes a stunning debut as the luring younger sister. Her subtle lustful glance, cold attitude and utter beauty will win over many hearts among audiences and the film industry. The gorgeous Luis Garrel’s accented English and enticing run to the the trashcan in nothing but a velvet blazer shows he has the balls for the business.
Pitt, although perfectly hermaphroditic in appearance for his role as link between brother and sister, leaves some to be desired with his performance. All in all, it is the courage of these characters to be totally nude for the majority of the film that wins them acclaim.
Unique to the film are the excerpts of old black and white films, such as Blonde Venus and Queen Christina, that are sliced into the performances of the characters. The most memorable of these is their reenactment of the famous scene from Godard’s Band part, where the characters time their rebellious run from one end of the Louvre to the other. While these scenes offer a little soft touch to the stoic sexual tension in the film, it is hard for such a modern audience to appreciate the value of these antique films.
The three critical characters in the film walk around nude as often as possible, they argue about the genius of film, the talents of Hendrix versus Clapton, and the Vietnam War, and they decry the existence of God. In one particular scene, the three smoke a joint while soaking in the tub, where their three bobbing heads seem a mockery of the Christian crucifix.
When the many aspects of Bertolucci’s film come together, it’s a film about growing u-being young and malleable in a time when revolution was thick in the air-as students, artists, and professionals alike joined together in protest.
This weekend, rid yourself of any lingering puritanical ideals and escape to Bertolucci’s The Dreamers. It’ll give you a run for your money.
