Baise-moi (2000)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Directors:

Virginie Despentes
Coralie (co-director)

Writers:

Coralie (writer)
Virginie Despentes (novel)

Release Date:

28 June 2000 (France)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Two young women, marginalised by society, go on a destructive tour of sex and violence. Breaking norms and killing men - and shattering the complacency of polite cinema audiences.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Violence | Road Movie | Real Sex | Revenge

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Karen Lancaume	...	Nadine (as Karen Bach)
Raffaëla Anderson	...	Manu
Céline Beugnot	...	Blonde at Billiards
Adama Niane	...	Boy at Billiards
Christophe Claudy Landry	...	Guy at Counter
Tewfik Saad	...	Server
Delphine McCarty	...	Severine
Ouassini Embarek	...	Radouan
Patrick Kodjo Topou	...	Big Thug (as Patrick-Kodjo Topou)
Lisa Marshall	...	Karla
Hacène Beddrouh	...	Lakim
Patrick Eudeline	...	Francis
Ian Scott	...	Rapist #1
Philippe Houillez	...	Rapist #2
Steven Jhonsson	...	Rapist #3

Also Known As:

Rape Me (International: English title) (USA)
Baise-moi (Australia)
Fuck Me (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

77 min | Colombia:72 min | Japan:74 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:18 (New Brunswick/Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island) | Canada:R (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario/Saskatchewan) | Singapore:(Banned) | Iceland:16 (strong rating) | France:-18 (re-rating on appeal) | Portugal:M/18 | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Japan:R-18 | Australia:Refused Classification (re-rating) (2002) | Australia:R (original rating) | Belgium:KNT | Canada:18+ (Québec) | Canada:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 (original rating) | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III (heavily cut) | Ireland:(Banned) | Italy:VM18 | Japan:R-15 (cut) | Luxembourg:17 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:(Banned) (video rating) | New Zealand:R18 (re-release) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | South Africa:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (cut) | USA:Unrated | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

The film Nadine is watching while with her "client" is Seul contre tous (1998).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "X-Rated" (2004)

Soundtrack:

La Chose

It's got nobs in and I don't mean rich people

Baise-moi is the second example of the recent French Graphic Rape Wave of cinema. Like a skanky French Natural Born Killers but without the talent, irony or indeed entertainment, the heavy-handed symbolism and maddening acting should have you turning off after the first 40 minutes. You continue to watch however, mainly though a fascination as to how far the director is willing to push the boundaries of good taste in order to convince us of his point. Something to do with society raping people and by-products of the system, a reflection of the perversity at the root of civilisation, monkeys with guns and Girl Power.

Joining the sensational release of Irreversible, with its centrepiece a nine minute rape scene, it could look to some that modern French cinema had found itself in a quandary, desperately seeking its next big theme in the rapidly thinning file of the last taboos. Thankfully, L'Homme du train dispelled those fears,at least for now. And maybe just two films don't make a wave, perhaps just a ripple.

However, nothing changes the fact that when the closing credits finally arrived, I was angry. Because it was rubbish. Not a patch on the glory of La Haine which dealt with a similar rage, but with far more heart and intelligence. Baise-Moi also has the worst soundtrack ever. I've got to stop wasting my life watching all these terrible films.