Customer Reviews

My Sex Life (aka how i got into an argument..., and Paul Deladus' journey) - By: PK, 21 Jun 2008
"Ma Vie Sexuelle" is an immensely satisfying film & is regarded by many as Arnaud Desplechin's most complete film so far; easy to see why.
The film centres around the character of Paul (Mathieu Amalric), a junior philosophy professor who has a deeply ingrained sense of inconsequentialityin every aspect of his life. It is Paul's plight with which the film is principally concerned, although it does unpredictably veer off into interesting narratives involving his friends, which add greater depth.
Its unpredictability & great sense of narrative space seem to me to be the main strengths of this excellent film. It presents possible dream sequences & non-linear plot changes sparsely,in order to explore its themes unrestrained. This makes the film feel excitingly disorientating throughout; it's impossible to predict how it will progress & this produces a fantastic sense of freshness.
Despite its lengthy running time, every scene is dense with a feeling of unadulterated expression, it is constructedin such a way that it is never apparent when the narrative should be brought to a close, rendering its time span irrelevant, it never drags, & any ending would feel quite insubstantial; the film's main flaw, which could additionally be seen as irrelevant.
The film's study of its protagonist's every insecurity would not be complete without Mathieu Amalric's perfectly-judged performance, it also helps that he is a consistently entertaining & engaging screen presence generally. Emmanuelle Devos' performance is another stand-out, (although the cast is unanimously great), her warmth contrasts subtly with her ambiguityin "Kings & Queen" (2004).

A film that must be found, whether or not amazon is being coy about availability.