Bertrand Bonello’s production of “House of Tolerance” intends to display the lives of women, or prostitutes I should say, in a late 19th and early 20th century. And display he does! It comes as no surprise that Bonello would now takes us into the world of prostitutes given that his previous films explore themes related to pornography and the lives of transsexuals. The historical approach to this concept certainly seems unique and appealing. While the production design phenomenally portrays the time period, the writing of the film made for an extremely boring and unexciting film that lacks in storytelling and remains incoherent throughout.
“House of Tolerance” tells the story of the women in a Parisian brothel. Excuse me, it is an attempt to tell the “story” of these provocative women. The film opens with a woman, whose name we later learn is Madeline “The Jewess”, in one of the rooms with a man. The situation seems to be going well until it turns for the worse. After the credits roll, we are taken to a different time, and we see the same woman and many others getting ready for their night of “festivities”. The night begins and we find out that the so-called teaser of the film is actually Madeline’s dream. The dream, however, becomes a reality. A man cuts her mouth into the infamous “Joker” smile, and she becomes known as “the girl who laughs”. She is no longer pursued by men who come to the brothel, and instead stays at the house to do the wash, clean, etc.
The film flashes periodically between showing the lives each of the different women. One becomes pregnant. One becomes sick. One begins to question her place in the house and compares herself to the other girls. She is the oldest in the house (28 years old) and begins to wonder about life outside of the house. One girl, Pauline, is a 15 year old who writes to Madame, the owner/boss of the brothel, asking to let her come be a part of their family. Madame accepts the young Pauline, but Pauline leaves almost as fast as she came. Eventually Madame has to close the house down due to an increase in money. Some girls are sold to other brothels, and some go out on their own.
In such a film as this, the visual displaying of the lives of these prostitutes is vital, however the overall storyline is inconsistent. Nothing seems to flow together properly. In other words, the film jumps around from one story to another. With the stories of so many women being told, it is often hard to keep the stories in line to match with their corresponding woman. And no one story captivated me like I feel it should have. In a recent interview, Bonello says he wanted to convey the lives of the women together as a group and individually. The idea is evident in the film, but it is not presented in a clear and concise manner. Furthermore, the ending really turned me off. I left the theatre feeling so confused and unsure of what the ending implied. It only further enhanced my conclusion that the film was not constructed properly.
As a firm believer of women’s rights and all that jazz, it was especially hard to watch these women willingly throw themselves at men for money. Sure the director only means to reveal the lives of some women in the 20th century, but the concept angered me throughout the whole film, especially given that only one girl actually left. Do they not have any sense of dignity? Not only did this concept disturb me, but the idea that Madame’s young children lived in the brothel. It remains unclear whether or not the children know why the women are there. During the day, the women hang out and play with the kids, but at night while the children are asleep, the women are playing with men in a whole different way. Many things appear unnecessary and lack a purpose. I sat through the film trying to comprehend the reason behind some of the film’s happenings, and rather than finding an answer, I became annoyed and frustrated.
Trying to grasp the idea that this film wanted to convey the realities of the brothels during this time is especially difficult. It appeared to be theatrical and fantastical looking, and it is obvious that not all of these women intended to be trapped in this world for so long. In this way, the film is a bit contradictory. Bonello needed to further detail the thoughts of the women in the brothel. Only one woman’s story really showed how she felt about her life in the house. We learn about the different things that happen in the house, but lack the emotional reactions to the devastating events.
The film comes across as an attempt to take one of those late night sex films that comes on HBO one step further. It failed, however, to take it the whole necessary step further to make the film more story oriented rather than just another sex appealing movie. I applaud the production design team for keeping things visually attractive and historically accurate enough to the point where I could bear sitting in the film for its two hours plus duration. On the other hand, I give a thumbs down to the film as a whole for its lack of storytelling and inability to fit pieces together correctly.
Directed by Bertrand Bonello
Starring Adèle Haenel, Alice Barnole, Céline Sallette, Hafsia Herzi, Illiana Zabeth, Jasmine Trinca, Noémie Lvovsky
Distributed by Haut Et Court
Running Time 126 minutes
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