Search - The School of Flesh on DVD

Long Live Queen Isabelle!

B. Berthold | Somewhere out west... | 11/08/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Isabelle Huppert is like one of those stars whose luminence never dims. She dominates every scene she steps into. And those characters she plays. Always strong women, who beneath their steely exteriors hide a million wounds. You never know where you will end up with her. In confusion. In a rage. In tears.The School of Flesh is no exception. It is all Huppert's feast with some tasty side-dishes as well. In it, she plays a confident and self-possessed doyen of the fashion industry, Dominque, who childless and partnerless, longs for somebody to love. While out with her girlfriend, they end up in a gay bar where Dominique's eyes rest upon the sexy bartender, Quentin(Vincent Martinez). Her gaze is surprisingly returned. In fact, the hunted soon turns on the hunter. Encouraged, Dominque, like a moth to the flame, returns to the source of her desire. Things start to roll and before she knows it, Quentin has moved in. With her invitation of course. A seemingly harmless arrangement. Dominique gets a sexy young lover, while Quentin gets financial and emotional security. But is there any real love between the two......or is it just a relationship of strict economics....need meeting need?Dominique begins to scratch the surface of her live-in lover's past and soon finds shaky ground. A fatherless family, an impoverished childhood, a prostitutional present and most of all, a disturbing emotional emptiness . Quentin uses sex to pay the bills and keep himself distanced from any true commitment, while Dominique is prepared to suffer any humiliation in order to keep her bed-treasure. She evens suffers the ultimate humiliation when Quentin elopes with a younger woman.

But Dominique's needs overpower her dignity.
She soons spirals down into emotional collapse, while Quentin's vanity blinds him. Oblivious to the pain he is causing, he misses out on the chance for real love. Dominque gives him everything and he appreciates none of it.School of Flesh is a cautionary tale about what happens when we seek to satisfy our desperate need for love and security at all costs. Even at the cost of dignity. This film coldly dissects the workings of a dependent relationship. The last scene when the ex-lovers meet anew is one of the best I've ever seen. Especially for those of us who've been there. Heartwrenching, you don't want to end like that, but deep down, you know it has to.As a modern fable, this film works. Sometimes though, it moves too quick with too much material......lots of little detours....Quentin's mother, fellow hustler friends, 'clients,' none of which really add anything to the story. Just there to tease you a bit. Or annoy. And confuse.But the film is kept on track by its trinity of characters. Huppert's intensity is the glue that holds it all together. Without it, the film would be all flash and lust. Martinez' laissez faire attitude and macho studliness provides the right contrast to Huppert's vulnerability. The third pillar, Chris, the bar-owning transvestite, intrigues with his oracle-like knowledge of Quentin's past. There's a subtle edge to him as if he were jealous of Dominque's treasure. A common past with Quentin is hinted at, but never developed.Overlooking these minor defects, School of Flesh is well worth sitting through, pondering over and experiencing. For Huppert fans and those in destructive relationships, it is a must see!"