Man at Bath [DVD]

Bought this DVD against poor reviews as I have other Honore films in my collection and I have t agree with other reviewers that this is not the greatest attempt at film making.
I should also say that despite him shedding clothes frequently I didnt like what I saw when he did, so unlike watching an Ashton Kutcher film that may be substandard at least there I love watching him which makes up for disappointment in the story itself.
Here I felt him to be an unsympathetic and rather selfish character, that word used loosely, with nothing sufficiently interesting happening to justify my time.
Having said that I normally love Christophe Honore films, and French films in general, and films like Ma Mere and Dans Paris and Love Songs are wonderful. So I forgive, forget, and look forward to something better next time, hopefully with the fearless Louis Garrel in the lead.

This allegedly tells the story of Emmanuel (Francois Sagat) and Omar (Omar Ben Sellem) who between Gennevilliers and New York, Omar and Emmanuel go to great lengths to prove to each other they're no longer in love. That is what the synopsis says, and this is what actually `happens'. Emmanuel says goodbye to his boyfriend, the aforementioned Omar (who has the most ridiculous moustache - looks like copulating caterpillars). He decides to have some non consensual tradesman's entrance fornication (that might get past the sensors!) The moustachioed one then goes off to New York for some low rent film festival type thing - which could be a metaphor.

Then Emmanuel does a sexy dance whilst dusting the front room and then goes to see some old American guy who is a total git and takes all his clothes off to do some posing in the doorway. The `action' flits between the two locations and using hand held camcorder as well as some English interspersed with the French. There are gratuitous arse shots, some `old chap' full frontals and lots of awkwardly stuck on music. The music is a distraction and often cuts out for no discernable reason. I kept thinking Derek Jarman would be moistening his seat watching this.

At one point Emmanuel says `I'm not comfortable around actors', well no sheeit Sherlock, as this entire production seems devoid of any including even enthusiastic am dram types. Then Omar returns sporting the worst jumper this side of a charity shop and they sort of do some more getting it on, with some more arse shots. Then there is some bum shaving, well high cinema indeed. Sorry I watched this with my b/f and he thought it total tosh, even more than me and he's Belgian! So in summing up, if you like Mr Sagat and his posing at all angles, then you will like this, if you want a film with a plot and more over an actual point, then this will seem like watching War and Peace in Mandarin. In French with some English and sub titles too boring to bother with, this then is Homme au bain, made in France and like some of their wine really does not travel well.

I found the main character unsympathetic and there was little real structure or storytelling in the various things that happened. Disappointing.