Tragic Love, and Lust, in Full French Detail

Friday, July 18, 2008; Page WE30 Ah, l'amour, l'amour. Love, in all its strategy, struggle and surrender, gets the full French treatment in "The Last Mistress," Catherine Breillat's sumptuous adaptation of Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly's 19th-century novel. Indie cult icon Asia Argento and newcomer Fu'ad Ait Aattou star as ill-fated lovers Vellini and Ryno, whose erotic danse macabre descends into madness and tragedy against the prettily appointed backdrop of Paris aristocracy. They make a visually striking pair, and there are moments when, with their tumbles of dark curls and sensuous mouths, Argento and Aattou could almost be twins; if "The Last Mistress" isn't exactly graphic, it's nonetheless explicit, right down to Vellini's orgasmic gasps and flutters. But in Breillat's hands, the movie is less about sex than about... [read full story]