I Don't Kiss (J'embrasse pas)

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Basically, it is another rather obscure French feature that almost nobody on Listal has seen apparently. To be honest, it has been a while since I have watched this flick and maybe I should check it out again at some point. Anyway, I have noticed that while André Téchiné is probably one of the most heralded directors in France, he is not very famous abroad which is quite a shame since he has di... read more

Description: J'embrasse pas (I don't kiss) (1991) is a bleak, melancholic portrait of a young man searching and failing to find meaning in his life. An idealistic seventeen-year-old youth leaves his home in the rural South-West of France, hoping to make a career as an actor in Paris. After an auspicious start in the French capital, he soon discovers that he has no talent as an actor losing soon both his job and his room. In the end, he has to hustle to make a living as a male prostitute. He falls in love with a luckless young prostitute, but the relationship has terrible consequences for him. The film’s fragmented narrative structure and u J'embrasse pas (I don't kiss) (1991) is a bleak, melancholic portrait of a young man searching and failing to find meaning in his life. An idealistic seventeen-year-old youth leaves his home in the rural South-West of France, hoping to make a career as an actor in Paris. After an auspicious start in the French capital, he soon discovers that he has no talent as an actor losing soon both his job and his room. In the end, he has to hustle to make a living as a male prostitute. He falls in love with a luckless young prostitute, but the relationship has terrible consequences for him. The film’s fragmented narrative structure and uneven rhythm added to the sense of insecurity experienced by the central character. At the same time, the moody photography – particularly the intense nocturnal scenes – lend an atmosphere of cruel oppression and dark poetry, recurring motifs in Téchiné’s appealing style of cinema. ... (more) (less)