Rent Sex Is Comedy (2002)

An interesting deep-dive into the difficulties of directing from a female perspective - Sex Is Comedy review by Timmy B

Catherine Breillat is, by any stretch, an extremely interesting and highly provocative filmmaker. From her initial works, she has been totally unafraid & fearless, especially when it comes to depictions of sexuality and nudity. Alongside this, she has also been involved in a well-publicised scandal concerning an actress alleging sexual assault. So, in no way is she a shrinking violet, especially considering the pressures & difficulties female filmmakers face before a roll of film has even been shot. Comparisons of Gaspar Noë can be made in many ways, which I absolutely say in a complimentary sense.

I had only seen one of her films, Brief Crossing, which I did enjoy, despite the avalanche of bile/man-bashing, which did become quite grating after a while. But this film was one recommended by Cinema Paradiso, so I added it to my list, curious not only by it's description but also it's title.

Jeanne (a facsimile in many ways of Breillat,) is a female film director who is in the final stages of a contentious & difficult film shoot. Her lead actress is an 18-year-old on her first film, who is working to an extremely strict contract regarding intimacy (which in a pre #Me-Too setting is ironically great to see, considering what we now know...) The lead actor is a petulant, eye-watering narcissist who makes unreasonable/idiotic demands and vanishes from the set with no explanation. And this situation is further complicated by the fact that the two of them cannot stand each other, so trying to shoot the final sex scene becomes battle of wills and egos.

Anyone expecting this to be a comedy will be left sorely disappointed (I think that the film's title is a deliberate rug-pull by Breillat,) although there are some extremely amusing scenes, particularly involving the ridiculously large prosthetic penis which has been made for the lead actor. For me, this film is much more interesting because of the various difficulties that the director faces in trying to realise her vision, whilst working within the constraints that are acting like a straight-jacket on her.

As someone who loves and is fascinated by films & their production, seeing behind the curtain was an extremely interesting experience. It also confirmed something that I had heard in interviews with casts/crew: the shooting of sex scenes is without doubt the most un-eroctic thing imaginable, having to act in a room full of people looking at you whilst the director shouts commands from behind a monitor.

The film is sometimes slow going, and Breillat indulges in her love of making her characters at times spew vast amounts of word salads & paraprosdokians. But I also empathised massively with Jeanne, who is shown as being a fully-rounded and believable individual. She has to be all things to the different members of the cast & crew: director, acting coach, counsellor, producer, set designer, accountant ect. Whilst she comes across at times abrasive, I enjoyed the journey I had with her.

She also had the patience of a saint when dealing with the lead actor, who has one of the most punchable faces & revolting attitudes imaginable. A man who has good looks but also rides on the coattails of his famous father, he is every bit the sanctimonious nepo-baby you picture when the term is said.

If you are a fan of Breillat, there is much to like here, especially the frank depictions of sexuality and the ways different people see sex scenes. But for others like myself, it is an interesting peek behind the curtain of the difficulties of filmmaking.

Not funny - Sex Is Comedy review by ST

This was extremely disappointing. It's about a director s angst when filming a sex scene.

It became painful to watch at times because it was so bad