PS-B RATING -
 

If there ever was a movie that a new bride should avoid, it's Claire Denis' Trouble Every Day, a shockingly brutal film that caused a commotion at Cannes after two people fainted during a screening.  Hell, there would have been a ruckus anyway.  The film, which was even deserted by the French press, contains graphic shots of gory cannibalism and masturbation so disturbing, words can't do it justice.

You might think honeymooning in Paris is one of the more romantic things a couple could do, so why does Shane Brown (Buffalo '66's Vincent Gallo, kicking it all the way back to 1974) look so agitated during the flight to France with his new bride, June (Tricia Vessey, Town and Country)? Because he's got a pretty dark secret.  Those bloody dreams he's having are a vision of what's to come, and there's nothing he can do about it.

See, Shane has this problem that makes him want to devour his partner during sex.  And I'm not talking about nibbling on the ear, or even cunnilingus.  I mean devour.  Eat alive.  Tear off chunks of flesh with his teeth.  When Shane and June get to their gorgeous Parisian hotel, he ignores his wife and beats off in the bathroom because he's afraid of killing her.  Which makes it all the stranger when June lovingly declares, "I love you so much I could eat you."

It turns out that the romantic setting was not Shane's only reason for choosing Paris as his honeymoon destination.  He's also looking for Dr. Léo Semeneau (Alex Descas), who apparently tested some newfangled drug on Shane years ago.  Semeneau, now a discredited disgrace because of his experiments, is no longer working, but trying to control his own wife, Coré (Béatrice Dalle), who was also on the receiving end of the drug (let's just call it Vampire Viagra).  Coré stays locked up in a house with the windows barred and the doors boarded, but, thanks to some opportunistic burglars, is able to have a Hannibal special sans fava beans, Chianti or even an open flame.

Denis (Beau Travail), who co-wrote the script with Jean-Paul Fargeau, says she based Trouble on a dream she used to have as a child, which is only slightly less disquieting than hearing her say the film isn't violent, explicit or about cannibalism.  She might be off her nut, but she can sure make an interesting film, a la Davids Lynch and Cronenberg (whose fans would probably dig Trouble).  One thing is for certain -- Denis loves filming the naked human body.  So if you're bored with the typical horror crap Hollywood is spewing out, then this might be right up your alley.  As an added bonus, Tindersticks provides a moody, atmospheric score (they also worked on Denis' Nenette et Boni).

1:42 -  but contains gore, nudity, cannibalism, ejaculation and more
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