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The School of Flesh

1998 · 110 min

A cool, intimate study of desire and self-destruction, watching a composed woman unravel through a passion she cannot control.

Directed by
Benoît Jacquot
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Romance
Tagline
Lessons in love, sex and betrayal.
Overview
Fashion executive Dominique's obsession for Quentin, a young bisexual hustler, fills her desire for physical love but leaves her taxed emotionally. Twists and turns in the relationship, along with the man's violent and abusive nature, force Dominique to reconcile the conflicts created by her passion. In this quest, Dominique is aided, and sometimes hindered, by friends, clients, and Quentin's former and current acquaintances.

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Directed by
Benoît Jacquot
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Romance
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • love
  • identity
  • betrayal
  • isolation
Places
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex strong
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror2
Humour2
Realism8
Romance6
Tension6
Darkness7
Complexity6
Emotional weight8

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Cast

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Details

Genres
drama, mystery, romance
Directed by
Benoît Jacquot
Written by
Jacques Fieschi
Starring
Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Martinez, Vincent Lindon, Marthe Keller, François Berléand, Danièle Dubroux, Bernard Le Coq, Roxane Mesquida
Cinematography
Caroline Champetier
Runtime
110 min
Country
Belgium, France, Luxembourg
Languages
French

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