Pleasure and pain: the kiss is the elusive protagonist of this lively and unpredictable collection of short films
The simplified Italian title (A mad desire for women) loses some of the inherent mystery of the original French one: Les baisers, (the kisses). That yearned for fantasy, that seal of conquest, that alluring yet frightening treasure chest, that first porthole leading to the sea of love, that symbol of betrayal: both pleasure and pain, the kiss is the protagonist of all five sketches that make up this lively, unpredictable and at times cruel film. In Baiser de Judas (The Kiss of Judas), Bertrand Tavernier reproposes the episode from the Gospel: the lover of a gangster, who believes she has been betrayed, attempts to frame her man by kissing him in front of some police officers. In Charles L. Bitsch’s Cher baiser (Dear kiss), a naive suitor shows a female student around Paris, but ends up with an empty wallet. In Bernard Toublanc-Michel’s Baiser d’été (A Summer kiss), a married woman on an outing with a friend makes a bet that she will be able to get a shy young man to kiss her. Betting once more in Jean-François Hauduroy’s Baiser du soir (An evening kiss): this time, it’s a man who must figure out a way to kiss a mysterious woman. Claude Berri ‘s Baiser de 16 ans (A kiss at 16) takes us into the adolescent world: three male friends, taking advantage of the absence of their parents, attempt to seduce two female Italian tourists.
Five short films that attempt to explore the mysteries, joys and pains that hide behind a kiss.
Pleasure and pain: the kiss is the elusive protagonist of this lively and unpredictable collection of short films
The simplified Italian title (A mad desire for women) loses some of the inherent mystery of the original French one: Les baisers, (the kisses). That yearned for fantasy, that seal of conquest, that alluring yet frightening treasure chest, that first porthole leading to the sea of love, that symbol of betrayal: both pleasure and pain, the kiss is the protagonist of all five sketches that make up this lively, unpredictable and at times cruel film. In Baiser de Judas (The Kiss of Judas), Bertrand Tavernier reproposes the episode from the Gospel: the lover of a gangster, who believes she has been betrayed, attempts to frame her man by kissing him in front of some police officers. In Charles L. Bitsch’s Cher baiser (Dear kiss), a naive suitor shows a female student around Paris, but ends up with an empty wallet. In Bernard Toublanc-Michel’s Baiser d’été (A Summer kiss), a married woman on an outing with a friend makes a bet that she will be able to get a shy young man to kiss her. Betting once more in Jean-François Hauduroy’s Baiser du soir (An evening kiss): this time, it’s a man who must figure out a way to kiss a mysterious woman. Claude Berri ‘s Baiser de 16 ans (A kiss at 16) takes us into the adolescent world: three male friends, taking advantage of the absence of their parents, attempt to seduce two female Italian tourists.
Five short films that attempt to explore the mysteries, joys and pains that hide behind a kiss.
