It's relentless: every question from Berling that calls for more than a yes or no is parried by Guillemin, which leads to exasperation, then to sexual excitement leading to another bout in the sack. "I don't know... never thought about it" becomes a suit of armor for the girl facing her maddened lover.
There is a whimsical aspect to all this (thank God, too)--it's Arielle Dombasle's performance as the funny, sensible Sophie, a sort of aunt to Berling. She has all the wisdom that Berling needs but can't use. Cedric Kahn, who directed, seems to be a competent workman but no more. The Moravia novel on which the picture is based is a good airport novel, as Bertolucci said about The Conformist, but it's sometimes the airport book that can be turned into an effective film, as here.
There is a whimsical aspect to all this (thank God, too)--it's Arielle Dombasle's performance as the funny, sensible Sophie, a sort of aunt to Berling. She has all the wisdom that Berling needs but can't use. Cedric Kahn, who directed, seems to be a competent workman but no more. The Moravia novel on which the picture is based is a good airport novel, as Bertolucci said about The Conformist, but it's sometimes the airport book that can be turned into an effective film, as here.