House of Tolerance [L'Apollonide – Souvenirs de la maison close] (18)
This languid, stylised film from director Bertrand Bonello (Tiresia, The Pornographer) is set in a sumptuous Parisian brothel at the very end of the Belle Époque. Gentlemen lounge in its drawing room in the girls' bored embrace, before selecting a partner and going upstairs... In this closed world, where some clients fall in love with the girls, and others become violent, the girls share their secrets, hopes and fears.
Choosing to focus his camera on their faces over those of their clients, Bonello's hypnotic film highlights female strength and solidarity, despite the degradations of their situation. Immersing us in a long-abandoned world, awash with opium and champagne, the film draws us into the remarkable stories of its women.
ShareThis