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After Sex (1997)
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Synopsis: Diane is a successful book publisher with a husband and two children. When she meets Emilio, a social worker half her age, her physical urges blot out everything else. Rouan's film examines the euphoria and depression a woman feels before and after and affair. A 1997 Cannes, Toronto, and New... Diane is a successful book publisher with a husband and two children. When she meets Emilio, a social worker half her age, her physical urges blot out everything else. Rouan's film examines the euphoria and depression a woman feels before and after and affair. A 1997 Cannes, Toronto, and New York Film Festival Selection. [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Brigitte Rouan, Patrick Chesnais, Nils Tavernier
DVD Info
Release:
Aug 23, 2005
DVD Features:
- Region (unknown)
- Keep Case
Additional Release Material:
- Original Theatrical Release
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
Reviews
This raw, compelling drama of amour fou is an emotional tour de force for Roüan.
Narcissistic, skin-deep, cautionary tale about the dangers of middle-aged married women having flings with young men.
The film is dominated by the raw intensity of Rouan's performance.
The French may imbue romantic and sexual turmoil with a bit too much sturm and drang, but at least they examine intimate emotions that Americans nervously avoid.
A hauntingly honest and provocative look at what an all-consuming love can in fact consume.
In the end, pursuit of shallow torrid sex can't fully explain her sketchy motivation for discarding her perfect life, but the tragic overtones are palpable throughout.
There's never a sense that anything's at stake for Diane; there don't seem to be any dire consequences of her actions.
Wonderful at bringing out an adage repeated by Diane: 'When you're twenty and love goes wrong, you cry because you think you'll never love anyone again. After 40, you cry because it's far more likely that you never will again.'
Weak, superficial, and unconvincing, it turns what could have been a searing experience into a trite, overwrought melodrama.
As a director, Rouan benefits from some terrific performances, not the least of which is her own.
Rouan succeeds in showing both the dark and light sides of passion.

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