Review: The Last Mistress

Asia Argento stars as the passionate La Vellini in Catherine Breillat's (Fat Girl, Romance) most conventional film yet, an eighteenth century costume drama based on a novel by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. It is not, however, a conventional film: Argento is asked to twist and turn and writhe in explicit sex scenes in Breillat's preposterous melodrama. The dashing Fu'ad Ait Attou makes his film debut as Ryno De Marigny, a young lord torn between his beautiful young bride (Breillat regular Roxane Mesquida) and the troubled mistress he can't let go of.

The Last Mistress opens today in limited release. Read Marcy's review.