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One of the wrost movies I have ever seen

Absolutely Fantastic

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This is an extremely difficult film to watch, Certainly, I appreciated seeing it alone. It is not and experience I would wish to share in a theater.Daniel Day-Lewis may "drink your milkshake," but I doubt very much if he would partake of the woman's (Amira Casar) tea made with a used tampon, and offered to the man (Rocco Siffredi) as a means of bonding. It gives "drinking the blood of my enemies" a whole new meaning.Catherine Breillat has certainly pushed the envelope with this film about men and women and men's hatred and fears of women. There is really nothing erotic about this film; it is provocation meant to shock and awe.That may be what is needed in the discussion, but it certainly takes a strong person to observe and think.The Woman hires The Man, who happens to be gay, and can therefore be more objective (?) to observe her over four nights and comment on what he finds objectionable about women. The love/hate/fear between men and women is discussed and played out in a way I have not seen before, but in such a way that it really made me think. I believe that is Breillat's objective, and she certainly achieved it.It is not meant to be erotic, and it is not pornographic, although is ostensibly has real sex included, but is, shall we say, meant to provoke discussion.

It's going to be very hard to write a review for this film that isn't going to be pounced on by censorship, but I'll give it a try.Within the first five minutes of this film, a woman attempts suicide in the bathroom of a gay disco. It is, perhaps, the most cheerful moment in this bleak, drab film that takes a close-up and clinical look at women's genitalia and the men who don't love them. And apparently the women who aren't feeling too good about them either, since the reason that the "heroine" attempts to kill herself is, she says, because she's a woman.A gay man saves her and winds up spending four nights watching her. Of course, he winds up doing more than that. At one point, he manages to lodge the handle of a large gardening tool in a rather intimate location... without waking her up. Does _anybody_ sleep that soundly? Well, maybe the audience...In between long segments of the character "man" telling us why he's gay (although you wouldn't know it by watching this movie!) and the heroine "woman" tells us why its so hard to be her, we get some truly remarkable revelations. Ever wondered how long a woman could hold a rock inside her girlie bits or what large quantities of menstrual blood look like when smeared across the groin of a partially-aroused Frenchman? Then this is the movie for you! At one point, the heroine goes so far as to equate her reproductive opening to a vast black void, and in yet another we learn that men can give only death, and that's why gay men turn gay. Or something. You know, it's hard to follow a story when every line in the script is a veritable hyperbola of pith and the observation of humanity. Well, some seemingly quite miserable segment of humanity, anyhow.I am, admittedly, not a devotee of French cinema. I subscribe to the stereotype that most French movies are... well... like this one. There are people in the world who take their lower regions far too seriously, and one of them has made a movie.If you've ever wanted to kill yourself over the fact that you possess genitalia, be sure and check out this fine croissant stuffed with French cheese and a few things that IMDb won't let me mention using the names by which they're most commonly called. Mark my words, you'll never look at your crotch the same way again!

Warning - spoilers herein.The good thing about Breillat (the director and author of the book this is based upon) is that she's not at all squeamish about looking at the dark side of sexuality.On the other hand, her view of sexuality is pretty dark. Themes in this movie include the general hatred of women that men feel and the repulsiveness of female genitalia. The main male character, at the end, feels that he's found total intimacy with a woman whose name he never learns.Lots of nudity, male and female. Genetalia closeups, including insertion (but not intercourse). A hatchling being crushed, a group of young boys playing 'doctor' with a prepubescent girl, garden tools being used for (simulated) insertion, lots of menstrual blood, discussion of the sexual advantages of young boys over women - pretty strong stuff. The dialogue is even worse, in a way, mostly exploring the awfulness of women. If you can handle all of that, you'll get some insight into how Catherine Breillat views the relationship between the sexes. Just be prepared - that view is pretty dismal.

SPOILERS! Another reviewer mentions "Irreversible" when talking about this film. "Irreversible" was horrific and very hard to watch, but at least one could say it had a point. I'm pretty sure "Anatomy of Hell" has no point at all. What is the point, for instance, of taking a used tampon, dipping it in water like a teabag, and then drinking the water? I suppose if one wanted to inspire intense nausea that would work. Or what is the point of inserting a garden implement handle into a woman's vagina--and leaving it there? This "movie" consists of LONG vignettes of lackadaisical upper-crust European types talking in monotones leading up to profoundly disgusting physical acts. Breillat must think this equals artistic significance, but it's more like a lousy geek show that overcharges for admission and then is boring. "9 Songs" was similar in some ways, but at least the sex in "9 songs" was erotic, and the music was hot. I just can't imagine what reason "Anatomy of Hell" has for existing.