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Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

not great, not impressive. only interesting. a love story who has care to explore the roots of feelings, expectations, the delicate pieces of relation and motivation who defines it. Isabelle Huppert is the same and the mixture of passion and cold emotion has a splendid translation in her performance. Vincent Lindon is maker of a seductive character for its balance between worlds.and Vincent Martinez is the ideal choice for a vulnerable, selfish and in search of his sense of life guy. it is a film of details and than fact makes it in a different cinema work and, in same measure, reminds the virtues of European art. it is an exercise to rebuild a new-old form of realism. more than story/atmosphere itself, essential are the silence slices. the looks, the gestures, the untold words. so, a special film. or, maybe, just interesting.

This movie examines obsession of the heart and body. Isabelle is brilliant. She is very personal. She expresses her need to be adored in a very vulnerable way, as in the arcade scene, when the boy refuses to leave. She walks away, the camera tracks with her, revealing her ambivalence and confusion. She then returns, tries to play his games, but is unsuccessful. It's a wonderful scene and she's fabulous. Love to meet and work with this incredible actor. Her expressions are so telling. This movie had subtitles here in American and I really didn't need them most of the time to understand what was happening on the screen. I could identify with needing someone so much that you are addicted to them. Again, terrific movie. No car chases, just people chases.

"School of Flesh" tells of the ebb and flow of a sex/love relationship between a well-to-do middle aged woman and a handsome young bisexual male hustler. In typical French fashion the pair of star-crossed protags are locked in constant maneuvering in order to better define the limits of their relationship and their influence over it. Though the film is very well acted and directed with Huppert exuding expressionless controlled intensity, the underlying story seems somehow worn, unoriginal, and lacking the psychodynamics required for audience satisfaction. Recommended only for Huppert fans and aficionados of French cinema. (B-)

This film is near the top of my list for best films out of France. It is a superb production. The scenes between Dominique (Isabelle Huppert) and Quentin (Vincent Martinez) are completely convincing with natural conversation and sensitive mood changes. While the disparity of ages between lovers is not a new theme, it has never been handled more expertly than here where the older woman wants to "possess" the young call-boy but he is determined to remain a free spirit. What is so arresting in this story is that we know so little about the characters and their past. But information is gleaned bit by bit from their conversations, and never very much, so we hunger for more as the story unfolds. The dewy-eyed Isabelle Huppert in the final scenes reveals her talent as a fine actress. A wonderful piece of cinema that holds you to the end...and what an ending when the two characters realize that their dream has ended and they now face the harsh realities of life.