Je T'aime Moi Non Plus [DVD]

As a lover of Gainsbourg's music, I was curious to see what his directorial debut would be like -- I went in with high hopes and wasn't disappointed. People familiar with Gainsbourg's body of work will know to expect to unexpected, what with his love for the surreal, bizarre and perverted.

Jane Birkin stars as Johnny, a tomboy truck-stop waitress, who falls in love/lust with homosexual garbage truck driver Krassky, played by Joe Dallesandro. Krassky leaves his boyfriend to pursue a relationship with Johnny, but things are more complex than they seem -- especially in the bedroom.

In Gainsbourg's hands, this very basic plot does become something very much worth seeing. The sex scenes are genuinely uncomfortable, but the two stunningly beautiful leads are perfect for this twisted love story. Not to overanalyse things, but did Gainsbourg mean for this to be a commentary on what women will go through to please a man? A love story open to interpretation.

Watch this film and make up your own mind; as a Gainsbourg fan you will definitely come away with a new appreciation for his body of work. 'Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus' is a film made to be watched with an open mind -- for non-Gainsbourg fans (and those who easily feel uncomfortable), it's probably best to give this a miss.

Unfairly ignored by the public and the elites of the press at its release, this excellent movie by Serge Gainsbourg shows how Johnny Jane, a young girl of the Wild West, falls in love with Krasky, a truck driver that stops by the truck-stop she works at, and how their relationship evolvsd, especially when Padovan, Krasky's boyfriend, isn't too happy to see a woman steal his boyfriend.

As for the thematics of its movie, I really loved what Judy Birkin said, that this story was like the Little Mermaid, in the sense that Johnny Jane is ready to transform herself to fall in love with Krasky, even though it is suffering to her. This was an opinion I agreed to after watching this movie, which seemed closer to a fable than a romance.

Right from the first scene, Serge shows that he has a lot of talent for visual arts. Indeed, every shot is cleverly composed and the cinematography, even though it has a lot of surrealism, reminds us of the great westerns, a genre that the director adored watching. Even the music reminds us of this genre as we hear both his songs 'La ballade de Johnny Jane' and 'Je t'aime moi non plus' turned into melancholic melodies. Why, speaking of 'La ballade de Johnny Jane', it is interesting to hear this song right after the movie, for I think it is also Gainsbourg`s message to Johnny Jane after what she's been through during the story.

As for the actors, I think they all gave incredible performances, especially Jane Birkin, who gets to show, after playing in uninspiring french comedies in the seventies, that she's an excellent actress who can do daring roles.

In the end, I think it is an excellent movie that should have had a better reception at its release. Especially when the french director François Truffaut had nothing but praises.

The song "Je t'aime" is a classic. It was fabulously popular when it was first released... and somewhat controversial. Like millions of others, I love it. But I'd had no idea, until recently, that it was a film. When I found out, I bought the DVD. Filled with curiosity, I eagerly awaited its arrival. When it arrived... Frankly, I classed it as somewhere between "dodgy" and "nasty".

The thin storyline is about a gay man, Krassky, played by Joe Dallesandro, in a gay partnership, who meets a skinny, "no tits, no arse" woman (Jane Birkin), called Johnny because of her boyish looks. She falls in love with him. He responds, sort of, but can't face having "normal" sex with her. Instead, it's anal sex all the way. Johnny goes along with it because she's blinded by love. But Krassky's commitment to his gay partner is stronger than his consideration for Johnny; she's just a diversion for him, a curiosity to be explored and exploited.

I like Gainsbourg's works (well, most if it); I love Birkin; I even like some gay films, which a film-producer friend in Canada sends me. But this film left me feeling curiously bemused: why had Gainsbourg bothered? Had he wanted to spark controversy and debate? Or was he just exploiting the seamier side of life--the exploitation of women who will "do anything" for love?

So, I gave the DVD away to a Gainsbourg-fan French friend.