SPECIAL TREATMENT

Pepe's View:

We chose this movie from the wonderful films showing as part of this year's French Film Festival for one reason - Isabelle Huppert.  Isabelle Huppert is Alice, a high class prostitute who role plays and adopts a persona according to the fantasies of her clients.  When beginning a "session" which always comprises 10 "treatments", Alice discusses dispassionately with the client what their needs are and what role she will be required to play and therefore what the fees will be.
However, she is tired of her life and professional calling and seeks psychiatric help.
The director/writer Jeanne Labrune then leads us on an exploration of the similarities between the two professions - both dispassionately deal with clients, negotiate fees, have a minimum number of sessions,  offer "therapy" and solace to their clients and so on.
However, this is not very subtly handled - more labouring the point actually.

One of the psychiatrists, Xavier, played by Bouli Lanners is also tired of his profession and when his marriage starts to fall apart he tentatively investigates the services offered by Alice.  She tries numerous characterisations with him to no avail until one character reminds him of his wife and he realises he is still in love with her and should try to mend his marriage. This parallels a scene where he provides great solace to one of his patients without actually saying or doing anything - Alice similarly does nothing for him sexually and almost accidently makes him realise the solution to his unhappiness.
This is an interesting film - one that is none too subtle and we never really feel great sympathy for the two leads.
Huppert is as usual first class but this is really a film that left me unsatisfied.

My Score:  7/10

Ma's View:

Yes, spot on Pepe but I liked the parallels between the two professions and the way both the psychiatrists and the prostitute were so business like with their clients and both so intent on plowing their money into antiques.  It was interesting to see the psychiatrist with a problem of his own and I was expecting Alice to show herself to be better adjusted to reality than he was.  I'm so glad that they did not have her "find herself" by helping out the "good" doctor who really was too saintly to be real but the happy ending did not really gel with the rest of it anyway.  A very interesting movie, very well acted and filmed but a storyline that was strangely unsatisfying.

My score 6.5/10