Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Steamy

Before I begin, there are two things I need to admit about Revanche (2008). One, it’s not really a foreign steamy romance. And two, the copy I watched was missing about half of the subtitles, so, uh, I can’t say I didn’t miss a substantial portion of the dialogue. But wouldn’t you know it? I still have plenty to talk about. I won’t get too much into the sex above the cut, since explaining the context is kind of a spoiler. Instead, I will say that once again, European cinema proves to be refreshingly liberated when it comes to sex and nudity. There’s some pretty graphic stuff about five minutes in; it’s not gratuitous, and it’s not there to push any envelopes. What it does do is enhance the film’s authenticity. So, you know, go Europe.

Warning: spoilers for Revanche.

The Cliffs Notes version: Alex (Johannes Krisch) and Tamara (Irina Potapenko) love each other. Unfortunately, she’s a prostitute with limited options and even limiteder (uh) financial resources. Alex decides to rob a bank—way to go, Alex—with disastrous consequences. As the couple make their getaway, police officer Robert (Andreas Lust) accidentally shoots and kills Tamara. Alex vows and ultimately gets revenge, but it’s not by killing Robert. Instead, he takes up with the officer’s dissatisfied wife Susanne (Ursula Strauss). Did you get all that? If I missed anything, it’s probably because of the damn faulty subtitles, which is what I get for not waiting to see this movie in theaters.

Luckily, these characters speak the universal language of love. And by “love,” I mean hardcore revenge sex. There are some wonderful scenes exploring the complicated relationship that develops between Alex and Susanne. She’s not his initial target. In fact, she seems to be merely caught in the crossfire. But once they do get together (euphemistically speaking), there’s an instant shift, an understanding that maybe the title’s “revanche” isn’t going to be of the bang-bang variety. Alex may carry a gun around, but it’s his other gun he really uses. (See what I did there?)

Sadly, I wasn’t able to make screencaps, so you’ll have to take my word for it when I talk about the incredible intensity of the first Alex-Susanne sex scene. It’s honestly a bit hard to watch. What I liked is that it’s not literally a violent act: this isn’t Alex taking Susanne against her will, which would be an entirely different and, frankly, more expected situation. Instead, it’s “just” sex—and, naturally, that “just” is a bit of a joke. Can sex ever really be “just” anything? (God, add an “I couldn’t help but wonder” and I’m totally Carrie Bradshaw.) Seriously, though. For both of these characters, there’s a sense of overwhelming desperation. It lends the scene a strange brutality that works well to underline the “sex as revenge” theme. And hey, maybe it’s not that complicated. Maybe they both just want to fuck. I just can’t imagine Revanche would let any of its players off that easily.

But enough of my convoluted (imageless!) rambling. Long story short: this is a very good film. Incidentally, the Academy agrees, but I’m guessing Revanche will lose to the equally worthy Vals Im Bashir.