House of Tolerance depicts a highly cinematic and atmospheric look at the final days of a turn of the century brothel when much of the Parisian sex trade was confined to grand maisons, populated by elegant madams, and vetted clientel.
Writer/director Bertrand Bonello brews a rich atmosphere.
Erotically charged but overlong and untroubled by too much plotting.
Dazzling and deep. You’ll want to go back for more.
Weirdly nasty.
Bertrand Bonello's film offers a bleak, unyielding yet sumptuously beautiful view of prostitutes' lives in Belle Epoque Paris.
There is enough detail about money, cosmetics, hygiene, sexually transmitted diseases, theatrical deportment and authentic camaraderie to qualify the film as a kind of documentary.
There’s plenty of flesh on display but the stories are far from erotic.
There is no real empathic reflection or intelligence to Bonello’s film, only callous judgment, mildy attractive aesthetics and dubious confrontation.
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday March 9, 2012, until Thursday March 15, 2012. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com
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