According to a French proverb, "Lovers can live on kisses and cool water." The joint dance of lips and tongues leads to an endorphic high. The Kama Sutra, the famous sex manual, lists more than 30 different types of kisses that lead to arousal.
Writer and director Emmanuel Mouret has made an enchanting, erotic, and playful French film about kissing that leaves an indelible impression. In Nantes on a business trip, Gabriel (Michael Cohen), a decorative painter, gives a ride to Emilie (Julie Gayet), a Parisian fabric designer. They are attracted to each other even though they both have a partner. They talk over dinner and when it is time to leave each other, Emilie does not give Gabriel a farewell kiss. When asked why, she explains that a single kiss can change one's life, no matter what the intention. To make her case, she shares a story.
Nicolas Gimas (Emmanuel Mouret) is a math teacher who has been best friends with Judith (Virginie Ledoyen) for many years. Whenever they get together, they share intimacies and whatever else has happened to them. Nicholas admits to having a problem: he seems to be inadequate in his romantic relationships with women. Judith immediately suggests that he see a prostitute, and he admits to already having visited one (Marie Madinier) who refused, as part of her business credo, to kiss him. Feeling very nervous, Nicolas wants Judith to help him with his problem. She begins with a kiss, but it leads to much more than either of them had envisioned. Wondering what to do about their love for each other, they come up with a scheme to not leave Judith's husband Claudio (Stefano Accorsi), a pharmacist, high and dry.
Writer and director Emmanuel Mouret makes the most of the many sexy and funny moments in the drama. The performances by the four lead players are delightful, and the use of buoyant music by Tchaikovsky and Schubert helps keep the romantic mood percolating. The final sequences deal with the question as to whether Emilie will kiss Gabriel or not. Here is a French film that covers the different shades of desire with creativity and élan.
