As she delves deeper into the dark sexual psyche she explored in Michael Haneke's The Piano Teacher, Isabelle Huppert again demonstrates her unique screen presence in this adapatation of Georges Bataille's novel.
But for all the enigmatic intensity of Huppert's performance as a one-time wild child tempted by the lusty innocence of her teenage son, Christophe Honore succumbs to shocking with style sans substance.
In a film reminiscent of Berolucii's La Luna Honore never gets into the minds of the pleasure-seekers of Gran Canaria, whose decadence provides the backdrop for Huppert's incestuous tussle with Louis Garrel.