It’s a bit hard getting a matching synopsis for the apparently confusing Bastards, directed by Claire Denis, but the common consensus is this: a sea captain (Vincent Lindon) gets a call from his estranged sister (Julie Bataille) that everything has gone to hell at home. Her husband has committed suicide and her daughter has been the victim of a vicious rape that lands her in the hospital. When he identifies the man who might be connected to both crimes, he starts up an intense affair with his mistress (Chiara Mastroianni) as a means of getting to him faster.
The English-subtitled trailer for Bastards (Les salauds) is tense, dark and brief – a contemporary film noir with a great new wave soundtrack. As with many a psychological thriller, we get to see small hints of both sex and violence; while this is going to be heavy on the sexual content, they don’t let you forget what it’s really all about: power. He’s on a revenge mission, remember.
Check out the trailer here:
Our own Shaun Munro reviewed the film at Cannes and was not a big fan, calling it “an ill-organized revenge tale that unfolds in needlessly incoherent fashion, [that] despite a rather salacious, sexy premise, fails to get the pulse racing in all other departments.” Maybe you’ll think differently? You can read his full review here.
Bastards is in theaters October 23rd.
