Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion

The movie’s title grabbed my attention. It’s so poetic and intriguing. The movie’s description made it sound like a 90’s erotic thriller; a woman is blackmailed by a pornographer into an affair to protect her husband, who may have murdered his business partner. The end result is a rather boilerplate movie. Lots of style, with cool lighting, and tons of interesting fashion choices. You have to give the acting a pass, as it’s 50 years old and of a different style than American cinema, but it’s fine. It’s just that the movie never actually feels all that tense. Even when the third act kicks in and the protagonist, Minou, starts doubting herself, the stakes don’t really feel all that high, and the tension is just never there. The bad guy is more a sleaze bag than a diabolical threat. Toss is some twists you’ll see coming, and an ending that’s all deus ex machina, and it puts a bow on a movie that has a lot of style and cool filmmaking, with a decent concept, but only passable execution. Never boring, but never outstanding. Hooptober 2022 movie #15/31