Sex Is Comedy

Another self-penned screenplay from la femme who brought A Ma Soeur and Romance to the screen. Catherine Breillat proves that sex really is comedy in Sex Is Comedy.

This aptly named film sees director Jeanne (Anne Parillaud) assembling her cast and crew to capture a love scene for her latest movie. However, things do not go quite according to plan when she runs into difficulty with her young actor (Gregorie Colin) and has to deal with fake penises and foot fetishes along the way.

A film within a film, Sex Is Comedy attempts to analyse the importance of intimate love scenes. Ample explanations and explorations are provided, as Breillat reveals the problems they evoke and how solutions can be reached. Of course, none of these things can be accomplished without shots of naked skin!

Parillaud is brilliant as the film's director. She is bossy, rude and arrogant - every normal person's worst nightmare - and yet, at the same time, very very good. In fact, the entire cast is pretty damn excellent. Breillat's penchant for recycling actors from her previous films seems to have paid off, as they perform excellently, despite sometimes embarrassing material.

Colin is, without a doubt, the moodiest actor there is. While his dark and brooding looks have earned him an army of fans, his character is slighly less endearing. His demands are endless. He refuses to socialise with the crew outside the studio and won't remove his socks during vital scenes.

Roxane Mesquida is captivating as the actress and as beautiful as ever. These two youngsters are brilliant to watch as their relationship develops on screen and off - within the movie, that is - culminating in the inevitable love scene, which is rather uncomfortable to watch. However brilliant they are, the focus remains on Jeanne, who, rumour has it, is not entirely unlike Breillat herself.

Sex Is Comedy overflows with classic moments. Something that will be difficult to forget is the image of the leading man parading around the film set with his fake member proudly on show. Fascinatingly funny, it dispels the myths of love scenes forever.