Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

VividSimon Simply Perfect

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

ShangLuda Admirable film.

ccthemovieman-1 There is no doubt Ariel Besse is a pretty woman. I should say "girl," because she's supposed to be a 14-year-old in here who is having an affair with her 30- year-old stepfather. With that for a theme, I'm afraid this film is an allurement to perverts looking for some cheap thrills. Fortunately, it doesn't play as sleazy as it sounds and there is no actual sex shown. However, I still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable watching this, especially since Besse was about that age when she made the film and appears bare-breasted several times. Allowing their 15-year old daughter to be nude and passionately kissing an older man in a movie like this is a sad comment about Besse's parents. Interesting that most of the positive reviews here come from California. No wonder Michael Jackson liked it out there! Anyway, looking at this strictly from a film standpoint, it was a well-made movie, which was photographed decently, too. The French do make nice-looking movies, and it's not a boring story despite an abundance of nothing but talk. It's a decent story but......but this whole thing is wrong so I can't recommend this film.

harrytrue "Beau Pere" was banned in Ontario when it first came out (the ban has since been lifted).In Canada, the age of consent is 14 years for both men and women, and sex between a step-father and step-daughter is not considered incest. Remi would be in trouble for the fact that his step-daughter is only 15. He would be considered betraying a trust. A step-brother and step-sister can marry, so can two first cousins (now people of the same sex can marry), but not a step-parent and child. I really don't think Canada is worse off for this.If you want smut, you should look somewhere else. It really is not smut, and you're wasting your time for something which is not worth the search. The plot ideas suggest smut, but this is a movie where the sex gets between the plot. In smut, the plot gets between the sex.Children sometimes are sexually attracted to parents or step-parents, and parents to children, as in this movie. Marion is the one attracted to Remi. He really is not interested in her. It looks like he thinks he is doing her a favour when he yields to her and has sex with her. It does not seem like lust on his part. He seems to be loving towards her. It seems to be a twisted way to love (more on that later). Later, they jump into sex, but its' not just sex. It's the desire to be close which leads them to have sex. Its' not really lust for Marion, just a desire to be close to Remi. She wants someone to be close with her, including in the sexual way. She turns down the chance to have sex with boys her age.Marion seems none the worse for her sexual experiences. She breaks the relationship, and seems to be thinking that she should move on and moves in with her father, who she does not see in a sexual way. I think in reality, a parent or step-parent who has sex with a child, even if it's the childs' idea, risks opening a door which should remain closed. The physical pleasures of sex can be gotten from another source. The mental damage and the tearing up of boundaries probably is too high a price. Relationships like this belong in the movies.Interestingly, at the end, Remys' possible future step-daughter sees him and her mother making love. Is this a possible future relationship?

George Parker When a woman is killed in a car wreck, she leaves behind a husband and a daughter by an exhusband who become the center of gravity of the film. As the step father and beautiful 14 year old nymphet share their grief under the same roof, the girl reveals an uncommon maturity as she insinuates herself into the step father's life by taking on her mother's responsibilities and demanding her place in his bed. What follows is an unemotional, matter of fact, tastefully presented tale of two people whose familial love morphs into something more as they grapple with all the issues which come with their extraordinary and taboo relationship. "Beau Pere" aims for the head and ricochets off the heat but leaves the crotch alone. Not "Lolita" and not a film about pedophilia or seduction, this flick should be an interesting watch for anyone into films about atypical romantic relationships. (B+)

swandive Patrick Dewaere was a wonderful comic actor (see him in Les Valseuses), while Ariel Besse was rather, er, young. Realistically young. I'd have liked this film even better if I hadn't had to endure the horrible dubbing into English (especially for Ariel Besse's character).