BM will polarise viewers... it is not a pleasant movie, and has unlikeable characters... it may be compared to recent "shockers" like "romance" and "9 songs", but differs vastly in approach and intention...
i admit that i may ascribe more importance to scenes that were never intended as anything more than controversial... BM presents an unlikely but acceptable scenario which allows you to draw out what you like... possibly nothing...
instead of having careful moments in which characters expound and reflect, BM flings an act in your face, and coolly dismisses it to present the next one...
flaw wise, BM has many... the plot is simple, characters have little depth, the acting could justifiably be deemed lacking... the actresses are apparently porn stars... if you feel that automatically disqualifies them from being able to act, the acting will leave you cold... at times it is amateurish, at others organic...
the camera work and cinematography is unpolished, at times below TV movie standard... i'm unsure if this was done consciously... accept that this not a work of art visually... some of the scenes are still memorable, however vile... there is plenty of over the top violence and unsimulated sex, which may offend many...
some of the film could be typical porn... however, during the sex, the camera does not linger, and shots are brief... the rape scene is grotesque, and the mix of violence and sex is not treated as a fantasy... they simply "are" and response is your prerogative...
another point of contention is whether it is a misguided attempt at feminism... i'm no expert but i didn't think it was about feminism or empowerment at all...
BM centres on two unrelated women, both seemingly trapped in poor, sleazy lives and surroundings... manu is bullied by males, and together with a casual friend, she is raped by some men... this scene illustrates, literally, the means with which some men express violence towards women... sex as a weapon... manu takes it "like a man" and stoically resigns herself, while harbouring her anger at their vile actions... she robs them of their satisfaction...
her friend reacts in a way that may be considered "typical"... she cries, she is beaten (her reaction excites her attackers, although it is not acceptable to say she justifies their actions), she feels shame and violation... she even transfers guilt to her friend, because of manu's blank reaction... this illustrates, to me anyway, the condemnation of women by some fellow women...
manu informs her brother of the rape, and without pausing to show concern, he calls for blood... manu is confronted with an immature show of power... this scene is particularly striking as it leads to manu killing her brother... and highlights the cycles of violence and inappropriate reactions...
nadine is a prostitute... her character is easier to despise, it seems, because nothing "happens" to her... she loves a desperate junkie, and lives with a flatmate who judges her, however subtly... this is another interesting example of destructive relationships...
nadine is shown with a client... the standard porno action unfolds, but slipped in are shots of nadine looking at the television, showing a sausage being sliced... at the end of scene, her client's face is shown, not the standard "money shot"... once again the movie uses sex to say some things about porn, and male fragility...
in a fit of rage, nadine murders her flatmate... many would say this is unforgivable, and it is an immoral and terrible act... however, one does understand that she has lived through much assumption and moral grandstanding... her fury makes sense in the movie's context...
nadine and manu meet and bond in a strange dancing scene... one gets the feeling of girls, not battered women... this moment has been called superfluous, but i disagree... instead of ending in lesbian orgy, it is the only expression of innocence...
after manu and nadine kill a random woman for money, all audience sympathy is lost... manu and nadine are "baptised in sin"... they are locusts, and dispense death or pleasure with indifference...
nadine and manu also demonstrate female domination and abuse towards what is perceived as a weak man... they encounter the perennial object of some female scorn, a man who is not confident, sexy or rich... they take him back to their room and he cannot deal with the situation... they kill him for his lack of performance and "bad boy" attributes... the shallow desires of some (not the majority, but some) women are on display here too...
finally they exact a bloody, violent retribution in a sex club, against those who feel excess is a mark of "coolness"... are these people excited by sex, or by the idea that engaging in unconventional practices makes them somehow special?... manu and nadine seem comfortable with the idea that sex is what it is, and they find the people in the club to be repugnant posers...
i never felt like men were on trial on this movie, just attitudes and violence as a whole were being put on display...
this is not an easy movie to swallow... i do feel it is more effective then others, like the sentimental, thrill-chasing (BM is rarely sentimental) "battle royale" or the pretentious "romance"... i think it's brave for strange reasons, not concerned with feminism, craft, or much else... just being horrible and punk to make us think, if we choose to...
i won't claim that BM would be acceptable to everyone's taste, and could certainly understand if it does nothing for you... if i criticised it beyond its technical and script limitations, i would say this...
do all sexually explicit movies have to be porn, or present sex in a sad or unhealthy way?... why can't sex on screen ever be healthy, enjoyable and explicit, without degradation?...
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