Gone is the romance that was so divine, except in the case of Marie and Paul there never appeared to be much romance to start with, nor sex either which is why Marie goes in search of her Mr Goodbar. Sex in the movies is only interesting if the context is interesting which is why porn gets boring very quickly. Catherine Breillat's film is boring because the characters are boring and because they exist in a vacuum, in this case a sexual vacuum. It's like being made to spend time with dull acquaintances who don't get along, in or out of the bedroom.
Amongst women directors Breillat has often been called a feminist, dealing almost exclusively with sex from the woman's point of view yet in "Romance" she seems to be taking as much pleasure in showing men's bodies as those of women and in picking men who are definitely sexually attractive even if, in every other respect, they are as dull as dishwater. As for Marie herself, as played by Caroline Ducey, she has about as much personality as a sponge. Anyone who claims "Romance" as some kind of feminist manifesto are surely kidding themselves; it's really just porn minus the fun.
Amongst women directors Breillat has often been called a feminist, dealing almost exclusively with sex from the woman's point of view yet in "Romance" she seems to be taking as much pleasure in showing men's bodies as those of women and in picking men who are definitely sexually attractive even if, in every other respect, they are as dull as dishwater. As for Marie herself, as played by Caroline Ducey, she has about as much personality as a sponge. Anyone who claims "Romance" as some kind of feminist manifesto are surely kidding themselves; it's really just porn minus the fun.