In 1835 Paris, the Vicomte de Prony (Michael Lonsdale) and his wife, the Countess d'Artelles (Yolande Moreau), have little to do in their pampered lives except to gossip about others. They have paid special attention to Velli (Asia Argento), a fiery, passionate, and independent Spanish woman said to have been the illegitimate daughter of a noblewoman and a toreador. For the past ten years she has been carrying on a torrid love affair with Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Ait Aattou), a handsome and intense young man known as a libertine. He has decided to end his relationship with Velli since he is betrothed to Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida), a young beauty who is very rich. Her grandmother (Claude Sarraute) is worried that de Marigny will not be able to pull himself away from his old mistress who has mesmerized him for so many years.
In a flashback, the hedonist recounts his first encounter with Velli and his impression that up against other beauties she was not even a contender. But something in her otherness takes hold of his libido and propels him to seduce her away from her marriage of convenience to an older man. Caught kissing her, De Marigny takes a bullet in a duel with her husband, and she responds by licking the blood off the wound. Their voracious sexual passion carries them into a love affair that is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. But the relationship suffers a serious setback when their young daughter dies and Velli sinks into a depression. Eventually, de Marigny is enchanted by the beauty and innocence of Hermangarde. He promises her grandmother that his love for Velli has ended and that her granddaughter is the only one that matters to him.
Writer and director Catherine Breillat has created a bewitching film about sexual obsession and the ways it enmeshes some and enrages others. After his marriage to Hermangarde, de Marigny makes a valiant effort to keep his promise to her grandmother but Velli's hold on him is too strong. They are drawn back together and bonded by their pleasure in breaking the rules of society and throwing all caution to the wind.
Asia Argento impresses as the lusty Spanish mistress, and Claude Sarraute is outstanding as Hermangarde's wise and generous grandmother. Fu'ad Ait Aattou is convincing as a libertine who refuses to be restricted in his sexual adventures.
Screened at the 45th New York Film Festival, October 2007.
