Lady Chatterley’s Lover
In the midst of the first world war, Connie Reid weds the man she is in love with, Sir Clifford Chatterley before he returns to war. When he returns from war, he is limited to a wheelchair after becoming paralyzed. Clifford whisks Connie away from her London life to live in his grand mansion. She is isolated from her friends and family, only meant to care for her husband. He becomes infatuated with making his work more profitable and he lays off and exploits his workers. Outside of work, his main priority is producing an heir but must overcome the obstacle that his injury makes him unable to. Connie gets permission to have an affair in order to accomplish this. On one of her monotonous days, she meets her gamekeeper on a walk leading to a sexual reawakening.
The classic novel was banned in the 1920s for its ability to not hold back in exploring female pleasure, intimacy, and the idea of pursuing the things that bring you happiness. The film adaptation keeps the 1920s setting but updates the themes to appeal to a modern audience. The story focuses on feminism, the autonomy of the body, and the shame that comes with pleasure. Connie's conditions put forth by Clifford traps her in a confined state where she can’t be her own person.
While it is a story featuring an affair, writer David Magee makes Connie complex and layered without defaulting her as a villain for her actions. Cinematographer Benoît Delhomme respects the female perspective through using a gleaming lens that feels affection. The shaky camera follows Connie, putting the audience at her side to capture the wild emotions of her liberation. A rich blue color palette drenches every second of the frame making this period piece absolutely mesmerizing.
This film disproves that viral tweet, arguing that movies should not have sex scenes. These sex scenes allow the directing and style to shine and tell the story of Connie and the gamekeeper. Their sexual journey from eye contactless sex to being engrossed in each other’s bodies shares the stages of their relationship as they fall in love. Watching the bodies of Connie and the games keeper come together is like looking at a painting. The scenes aim to do more than just fulfill pleasure but to celebrate the power one has over their body. In Connie’s context, sex allows her to define her wants and needs while also discovering what brings her happiness. The choreography of their body movements is tasteful. Clermont - Tonnerre beautifully crafts these scenes of pleasure without it ever feeling like a moment of exploitation of the two lovers.
Overall the film is a beautiful depiction of intimacy and pleasure that is one of the few films to treat sex with tenderness and grace.