Romance
“Love is desolate. Romance is temporary. Sex is forever.”
Catherine BreillatCast
Caroline Ducey 
Rocco Siffredi
Credits
Written by: Catherine Breillat
Plot
Marie, a schoolteacher in a disappointing relationship with a man who refuses to have sex with her, has a one-night stand with a stranger. Then she begins a sado-masochistic affair with her headmaster, as she explores desire and her own body. Catherine Breillat's 1999 film, with Caroline Ducey and the Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi, was controversial for its explicit scenes.
Sinekatalog’s take
Catherine Breillat's explicit drama of a woman's sexual journey is provocative and cold. Deliberately confrontational, it split critics, who either saw a bold feminist inquiry or a joyless exercise.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.
Ratings
IMDb: 5.2 / 10 (13,509 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.
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