4.0 out of 5 stars
MONKEY SHINES, October 23, 2011
This review is from: Max, mon amour (DVD)
This 1986 film co-written and directed by Oshima stars Charlotte Rampling, Anthony Higgins and Victoria Abril. The American poster claims "a love triangle of primate proportions." Is this the greatest ape/human love story since Kong and his American girl friend's tragic tale? Absolutely. But this disturbing romance - if it can be called that and I think it can -- about a British diplomat (Higgins) in France whose wife (Rampling) takes a chimpanzee, Max, for her lover lives up to -- and goes beyond --the not so subtle hype of poster and DVD box. Is this a farce or a satire about how difficult relationships can be? Maybe and maybe not. What it does is present an outrageous situation in the most understated and ordinary terms. I was reminded of the best of Buñuel's works and discovered a writer, producer and an actor were frequent collaborators with the sublime master.
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