Review: Thorny and unabashedly sexy, Claire Denis’ ‘Both Sides of the Blade’ cuts deep
For much of Claire Denis’ slow-roiling, superbly acted melodrama “Both Sides of the Blade,” we are in a Paris apartment that feels like a private paradise, a haven of domestic tranquility and sexual fulfillment. Sara (Juliette Binoche) and Jean (Vincent Lindon) have been together for a decade and still can’t keep their hands off each other, starting with an early beachside getaway and continuing well after they’ve returned home. There are kitchen caresses, bedroom smiles and long embraces on their balcony overlooking the city below, whose everyday anxieties — the story takes place smack in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — seem to exist at a merciful remove.
Sara and Jean’s erotic bliss is so overpowering — and such a forceful reminder of how sexless so many
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