Savage Nights (1995) (AKA Les Nuits
Fauves)
For some reason, this film reminds
me of Patrice Chereau's "L'Homme Blesse" ("The Wounded
Man"). While watching it, I became convinced that
I was seeing the sequel to that odd French film from
some 10 years earlier. The protagonist of "Les Nuits
Fauves," Jean (Writer/Director Cyril Collard), could
easily be "L'Homme Blesse's" protagonist Henri (Jean-Hughes
Anglade) now grown up. But, in fact, the only relationship
the films have is that they are both French.
"Les Nuits Fauves" centers on Jean
and his inability to achieve a satisfactory relationship.
Our two points of reference are Laura (Romane Bohringer)
and Samy (Carlos Lopez). Apparently Jean is bi-sexual
even though the film leads us to believe that he has
been living as a homosexual for quite some time. The
relationship with Laura begins fairly close to the
film's beginning, when she auditions for a commercial
in which Jean is Director of Photography. The interesting
way that Jean and Laura improvise for that audition
leads us to believe that the entire film is improvised.
In fact, watching the film, I begin to believe I am
watching a documentary. The acting (or the improvisation?)
is that good.
Jean, whose attractive and young
face leads us to believe that he is approaching 30ish,
feels like a teenager again when he's with Laura.
Their chemistry is infectious. And, even though we
see Jean having a blood test where he acts in a manner
that leads us to believe he's had one before, we are
surprised when he admits to a friend he's had unprotected
sex with Laura even though he knows he's HIV- positive.
The fact that the film is set in 1986 does not alleviate
the shock of this revelation.
Meanwhile, we also witness Jean
establishing a relationship with Samy. Here, with
another man, Jean is much more comfortable, much more
the seducer than he is with Laura. It's important
that we see how Jean is in a homosexual relationship.
More importantly, we also begin to understand a lot
about Jean when we realize that his two new lovers
are much younger than he, each appearing to be about
18.
In the film's most unique approach,
Jean's AIDS becomes an allegory for something much
deeper. The film wants us to believe that Jean is
incapable of love. Therefore, his AIDS represents
his inability to become simply a member of the human
race. And while in one way it sets him up to be super-
human, in another it serves to accentuate the fact
that he lives separately from others by his own inability
to have a relationship based in mutual love, respect
and need. It also makes us realize that, if he does
not change his wonts, Jean will die. While it immediately
makes us feel sorry for Jean, he subconsciously seems
to believe that it frees him by allowing him to become
more shallow and daring. While, on paper it may seem
tasteless, on film it is odd and compelling to see
AIDS used this way.
But the film spirals out-of-bounds
when Jean and Laura's relationship fails. Laura is
unflinching in her love for the older man, in a way
that only an 18-year-old could be, and she sort-of
loses her grip. Through her we see the damage Jean's
recklessness has caused. Meanwhile, Samy becomes involved
in S&M situations (which repulse yet compel him) and
Naziism. This is another example of how Jean's inability
to love is affecting someone close to him. Samy eventually
evolves into someone who may turn out to be just like
Jean.
Beautifully directed by Collard
himself, "Les Nuits Fauves" is always interesting
to view. The film has a frantic fluidity of movement
that evokes the character's inability to cope and
accept things. Collard wants us to believe that these
character's very existence is spiraling out of control
and his camera almost never fails to accentuate that
feeling. One of the most successful ways he makes
use of this device is in the way he films Jean driving
maniacally in his convertible through the night. Much
in the way that Chereau had Anglade run aimlessly
yet frantically throughout underground train stations
searching for human companionship in "L'Homme Blesse,"
Collard has Jean driving frantically - seemingly trying
to escape from the demons that pursue him, namely
the fear of intimacy which evolves from that same
human companionship Henri seeks. This frantic withdrawal
by Jean, symbolized in the way he drives his car,
is a captivating technique.
The actors are so successful at
evoking this heightened freneticism that one simply
cannot look away from the screen. Their conversations,
fights, threats and erotic wordplay continually propel
the story to it's unusual conclusion. Collard and
Bohringer are particularly engaging when the relationship
begins but as it evolves into an ugly love/hate situation,
it becomes even more riveting. Again, it sometimes
seems that Collard simply called "action" and the
players began to improvise their roles. This is a
wonderfully performed film that evokes David Mamet
as much as it does Warhol's films.
"Les Nuits Fauves" has a few problems
though. Like "L'Homme Blesse," it portrays gays in
a pretty dismal light. The only other gay person with
dialogue in the film, other than the pathetic and
bi-sexual Jean and Samy, is a clownish queen who sings
sad torch songs to himself at a local diner. Otherwise,
gays are depicted as men who meet under bridges to
have sex with strangers. The film further slaps gays
in the face by suggesting that Jean will only be capable
of a "normal" relationship with a woman and that he
freely believes this himself. A homosexual existence,
personified by Samy, is left dangling at the end of
the film with it's predetermined S&M inclinations
and it's hatred and self- hatred beginning to destroy
any chance it ever had of achieving happiness. The
idea that Samy and Jean could ever find true love
and happiness together is never even suggested.
This being said, the film must conversely
be admired for its hopeful ending. We fully expect
Jean to be dead at film's end (he has AIDS!) but,
in fact, the film's finale is a spiritual rebirth
that finds Jean admitting that he wants to live. But,
more than that, the film's narrative epilogue proposes
that Jean isn't simply alive, he is, in fact, life
itself. It is this sudden positive affirmation that
ends the film, suggesting that the spirit of love
can overcome any obstacle - including a disease that
drains your very existence. Odd and unexpected, this
end to the film is enormously refreshing.
Positive and negative themes aside,
it is the fine acting and direction that make the
film successful. There is simply a plethora of ideas
being discussed here and the film's actors always
make these ideas interesting, poignant and, surprisingly,
often humorous. Collard's direction further accentuates
all of this. "Les Nuits Fauves" is a must-see for
cinemaphiles and gays alike.
Note:
Watching the film it is sometimes
hard to believe that Jean really has HIV, he looks
so healthy. In fact, Collard (who plays Jean) was
diagnosed HIV-positive sometime before he made the
film and died after it's release.
The film is based on Collard's autobiographical
novel of the same name.
The film won 4 Cesars, the French
equivalent of the Academy Award. Sadly, Collard died
3 days before the Awards Ceremony.
Released in France in 1993, in America
in 1994.
Review written in 1995 after watching
a VHS version of the film.
