Review of Bitter Moon (1992) by Willem W — 14 Nov 2007

Not to be taken literally. This film is a metaphor, a twisted fable about how relationships will eventually descend into pure hatred over time. Polanski sees love as a power struggle. Once a couple stops being mirrors for each other, reflecting what we think are our best aspects, human nature kicks in.

Like Kubrick, Polanski is no gentle Humanist. He views us as brute savages. I know people who hate this movie, and I think it's because they disagree withn Polanski's views. Granted, it's hard to penetrate most people's sugar-coated delusions about love and fidelity, but Polanski gives it the old college try in this one.

Sometimes the results border on the ridiculous, but then again, human relationships can be rather farcical, no? Personally, I think this film is a work of genius on the level of Sartre's "No Exit".

Hell isn't other people... It's your spouse...