Bitter Moon || Obsession Most Definitely Turns Into Disgust

I think the most beautiful movies were made in the 90s. I've never been so enthralled by something this old as I had this silly assumption that movies made in generations older than mine were boring but this one surprised me and trust me, I'll be scouting for more.

Synopsis(spoiler alert)

On a cruise ship with his wife, their destination being India, Nigel gets a sudden infatuation with Mimi after watching her dance for a while. Her crippled husband, Oscar, notices the obsession and tells him a story to let him in on the kind of woman he'd be dealing with if he ever got a chance with her.

His story, told with frequent use of flashbacks, entails how he, Oscar, met Mimi and how their relationship went after that first meeting. It was love at first sight which later turned into obsession and from obsession to disgust. Oscar, who once idolized Mimi, suddenly felt disgusted at the sight of her. But, she still yearned for him despite how much he made her feel less of herself during his hate days.

Suddenly, Oscar found a proper means of getting rid of her claiming he wanted freedom. The freedom that came with living in Paris. He went about his way, in the bosom of different women, abandoning his dream of getting to publish a book.

As karma would have her beautiful way, he got run over by a car while trying to chase a girl across the street. Now bedridden in the hospital, Mimi pays him a surprising visit and cripples him completely leaving him totally useless waist down. After that, she volunteered to be his nurse while taking her revenge slowly.

Learning of all the erotic moments, Nigel is still very much interested in Mimi and definitely wants to have a piece of her. Due to his obsession, he comes up with an unnecessary argument with his wife, Fiona, just so he could go out of their cabin and at least catch a glimpse of Mimi. But, on the day he thinks he's got a chance, he gets the shock of his life. Fiona works smarter than he could and shares a bed with Mimi. ^{I honestly didn't expect the plot twist either.}

My review and rating

I love the linear order at which this film was enacted. By the way, it's based on a novel and I honestly will be adding that to my long list of what to read because I feel there are some details that must have been omitted to probably make the film shorter.

I love Mimi. She's the true definition of when a woman loves and when a woman hates/seeks revenge. I hated how Oscar treated her just because he fell out of love. He made a public joke about her and that wasn't really nice. I know many would say “It's normal. People fall out of love. She should have respected herself enough to walk away before it got out of hand, etc” but that in my opinion is absolute bullshit. In reality, not many of us can easily accept a breakup especially if the person leaving is who we love and cherish.

I felt all of Mimi's pain. I felt so bad watching her try so hard to please Oscar while he kept demeaning her in front of all his side pieces and one night-stand’s.

I also, however, admire all the flat characters in this film, they don't do too much but they stand out, complimenting each other. It's sad the film came to a close rather tragically. Oscar definitely deserved every bit of pain Mimi served him when the tables turned.

The cinematography was surprisingly nice, not grainy, compared to some films made in the early 2000’s. I give it 4.5/5 rating. It is classic.

PS: This film is extremely erotic. Definitely not suitable for younger viewers^{(that's if they still adhere to that).}