During the 1990s, erotic thrillers were big business. The likes of Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Disclosure, Body of Evidence and The Last Seduction were not only critically acclaimed and successful at the box office, they also became ingrained within popular culture. Today, these kinds of films are very much of an endangered species. Indeed, until this decade the genre had almost died out. Thankfully, we seem to be at the start of a resurgence. Inexorable is a fine addition.
Marcel Bellmer (Benoît Poelvoorde) is a novelist who has been struggling to replicate the success of his bestselling novel, Inexorable. In hope of finding inspiration, he moves into the leafy country pile owned by the rich and infamous family of his wife and publisher, Jeanne (Mélanie Doutey). The trouble begins when they purchase a dog for their young daughter. That’s when Gloria (Alba Gaïa Bellugi) walks into their lives and nothing is the same again.
There’s nothing really new about the plot of Inexorable. In many ways we’ve seen it all before. However, not in the way Fabrice du Welz goes about executing his vision. Every shot feels intricately crafted in its design. Each word or glance has its own message. All conjured up in an often-surreal atmosphere, to the backdrop of a historical and social commentary. Inexorable is a deft and heady erotic thriller which takes its influences from ‘90s but puts a very modern slant on the genre.
Inexorable screens at Toronto International Film Festival.
