guided tour of an erotic cabaret in front of Lucie Borleteau’s camera

My only desire is above all a promise, that of taking viewers into a world which, for many, remains a mystery, particularly in terms of its internal functioning. To do this, director Lucie Borleteau (Soft song, 2019) offers him a narrator but above all a Trojan horse, in the person of Aurore (Louise Chevillotte).

The young woman arrives in the strip club, which gives her name to the film, with enthusiasm, candor and a disconcerting lightness when you know what she is getting into: professional stripping. A job, moreover, not very remunerative. Ten euros per hour: this is the price offered to him by the club manager. Aurore appears naturally gifted and gets hired in no time. Manon, the former thesis student, slips into the skin of a stripper with some success.

Thematic requires, the scenes ofMy only desire are explicit (film prohibited at least 12 years old). Among others those shared by Mia, embodied by Zita Hanrot, and Aurore. The two young women become friends. Mia, an aspiring actress who made the scene of this “erotic theater” his playground, seems to have found the ideal partner to give him the reply. And from friendship to love, there is sometimes only one step if the bodies are already talking to each other.

An unrelenting love story

Whether My only desire is also a romantic comedy, the most important spring of the film remains a reflection on the relationship to the body, to nudity, to sex and to the universes to which they can lead when money often imposes itself as the first motivation of these women . How far can one expose or give away one’s body without annihilating oneself? When the boundary between “whore” And “dancer” is crossed? Aurore and Mia have diametrically opposed opinions on the matter. Aurore’s casualness contrasts with the seriousness with which Mia tackles this issue.

My only desire worth for his character didactic, the scenes describing the various performances and incidents that can occur in an erotic cabaret and the way in which the sisterhood that these strippers form is portrayed. The romance, at the heart of the plot in the second half of the film, although interesting, does not add much to the fiction. Perhaps because despite this sensual and erotic atmosphere, the romantic relationship does not have enough spice to truly transport the audience. However, the initial promise is kept: “Comevidi, vice” could proclaim Aurore.

The sheet

Gender : Drama
Director: Lucie Borleteau
Actors: Zita Hanrot, Louise Chevillotte, Laure Giappiconi and Pedro Casablanc
Country : France
Duration : 1h57
Exit : April 5, 2023
Distributer : Distribution Pyramid