The Wounded Man
1983
France
Patrice Chéreau
Drama
What’s it all about: Jean-Hugues Anglade is a frantic virgin who disappears into the train station toilets seeking abuse and self destruction. He teams up with a sadistic thief and a bourgie doctor to form the worst throuple ever.
What’s so gay about it: it’s more French than gay
First Encounter: first viewing
Prostitute Index: extremely high
Death By: rough sex
Relics: shavers in the public bathroom
Hoops: characters who take turns obsessively stalking and then rejecting one another; performative passion
Heartthrobs: Hammou Graïa, Bernard-Marie Koltés, Daniel Geiger
Pass/Fails the Test of Time: Vittorio Mezzogiorno
LoFi Magic: French street fashion in the early 80s; Blondie playing over carnival speakers
Makes me want to: visit Lyon, but not the train station
Candotti Take: “The French national hero is not Napoleon or Marie Antoinette, it’s a simple and always-crazy prostitute.” / “That kid deserves a slap in the face, from me.” / “He looks like the brother of Lionel Messi.” / “It’s a movie that talks a lot through body language.” / “Another cliché: all the gays come back home with blood on their face.”
Worth a watch/rewatch: No
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