Confusion of Genders/La Confusion des Genres (2000)
M/M M/F M/M/F
French with English Subtitles
Synopsis:
[IMDB] No wonder Bisexual Attorney Alain is confused. He’s bedding his female boss, his guilty of murder client, the client’s hairdresser girlfriend and a precocious boy who knows what he wants and tries to convince Alain that ‘he can have it all’. Written by Havan Ironoak.
[CD Universe] Alain (Pascal Greggory, THOSE WHO LOVE ME CAN TAKE THE TRAIN) is a bisexual lawyer juggling a complex tangle of human relationships in the frisky French romantic comedy CONFUSION OF GENDERS. Embroiled in an office romance with his female colleague Laurence (Nathalie Richard), Alain is also being pursued by Christophe (Cyrille Thouvenin), the cute teenaged brother of an ex-girlfriend. And as if one love triangle weren’t enough, Alain finds himself attracted to his imprisoned client Marc (Vincent Martinez), a bad-boy murder suspect offering sexual services in exchange for reconciliation with his lover Babette (Julie Gayet), a hairdresser whose overt sexuality Alain also finds appealing…But by this point, Christophe has moved in, Laurence is pregnant, and Alain is further torn between conflicting desires for commitment and sexual freedom. With the help of a dynamic cast, snappy dialogue, risque humor, and a uniquely French flair, CONFUSION OF GENDERS deftly explores the farcical nature of sex and romance in the postmodern age.
Review:
I had this movie for a while but I kept putting it off, I had the time today.
The opening scenes of naked people in bed makes you surprised but that was all, I knew there was nudity and sex scenes but as you watch this movie you knew this was all about Alain and his confusing life. His sexual identity was always uncertain to him and the audience and it was twice the aggravation for everyone around him in the movie. The title is very apt as it took all of my will power to not fall off the sequences of who Alain wanted to be or not be with. I like the idea of the movie but I wasn’t always sure if I like Alain since at times, (no I lied, I was sure) throughout the movie he was vain and masochistic with the beating of himself/self-pity of “I never understand what I want” and the like. It makes the people who loved him insane.
There are parts that made the whole movie watchable, such as the other characters. His long time lover and partner-in-law Laurence who at times was quite indifferent to her and the effects were at most devastating to watch, there was where I felt she would rid herself of the baby (after watching: it was obvious she was also going through depression which after the baby became postpartum, Alain and her family’s indifference hurt me) because why would want a child that had a father who didn’t love her in the way she needed, who wasn’t living with her but with his male companion Christophe, who he loves as well in his way as well…
I love the scenes on how Alain’s former girlfriend’s twinky brother Christophe making a play for Alain after the party, talk about going for what he want. Unlike the long standing affection he had with Laurence, they had instant chemistry and I could see when the comedy comes in. When Alain is in the mood to love someone and I think it was the closest for him saying he loved Christophe at his own wedding. But that quickly went back down when he found himself attracted to Babette, the girlfriend of Mar, who is imprisoned for murder. His was the only character I truly hated more than Alain.
If nothing else, I noticed as at times when Alain recieved some clarity, everyone around him became confused.
At the end, parts of these multiple relationships are correcting itself and while I would of prefer them giving me a firm V poly relationship between (Alain, Laurence , Christophe ) to end than what they showed us, this isn’t an Americism of European movies, it is me saying after all the craziness give me something that makes me watching the whole thing worthwhile.
Question: This is considered a comedy but if I do the smooshing I would consider this more of a dramedy, more angst the humor. But you can decide.
Trailer:
