A Sweet Journey

A Sweet Journey doesn’t quite meet my criteria for an unambiguously queer film. The focus of the story is an incredibly intimate friendship between two women. Sometimes they kiss and express desire for each other but also like to reiterate how straight they are. However, I decided to give it a review on this site. While A Sweet Journey never quite crosses the line into being overtly queer, it approaches the line so many times from so many different angles that it’s worth a mention.

The film explores the long time friendship between two women. Hélène is a mother in a happy relationship and seems generally content with her life. Lucie by contrast, is generally unhappy, melodramatic and somewhat childish. The film follows them as they take a trip together. Along this trip, they share stories of their past and open up to each other. They also have some sexual interludes and explore the dynamic that exists between them.

The dynamic between Hélène is the central and most fascinating part of the film. It is really interesting how the film creates a relationship that would generally suggest romance or sexual interest yet it never fully reads like that. Hélène and Lucie share beds, get naked in front of each other and Hélène bathes Lucie more than once. This is a level of intimacy far past most friendships but never fully romantic. If anything, Hélène takes on a somewhat motherly role to Lucie despite the women being the same age. Admittedly, one adult acting like a mother (or, mommy) to another adult itself can be a sexual thing. The relationship features such a strong level of both physical and emotional intimacy that generally only features in romantic relationships. It is fascinating to see it in the context of a co-dependent friendship that never quite tips over into romance.

The closest Hélène and Lucie get to overt queerness is a scene in which they talk about when they were girls together. Both women express that they had a desire or fascination with the other. This scene then leads to them sharing a kiss. But it’s a bit of a joke of a kiss; playful like what might be shared between girls. The second most queer thing that happens is when Lucie seduces a hotel employee and Hélène directs said employee on how to kiss and seduce her. This is peppered with Hélène saying how beautiful and desirable Lucie is. But even these scenes are undercut by the women’s clear desire for men. Despite this core female relationship, the film does depict two women who are probably heterosexual; they simply wish they weren’t, perhaps.

The end of the film reveals that many of Hélène’ made up or embellished many of her stories about her sexual experiences. This includes one about her being raped as a child. Lucie then reveals she was raped. It’s incredibly affecting. Lucie’s confession pops the bubble of care-free sexuality and sensuality the women have existed in. This is despite Lucie’s attempts to keep it light as she doesn’t want this reality to sink in or ruin this warm, comfortable time she has with Hélène. What then follows is an excellent juxtaposition of visual and sound. The audio depicts Lucie’s rape. The visual however, remains in the present and shows Lucie and Hélène walking down a rural road. The cinematography remains languid, romantic and beautiful while the audio is gritty and upsetting. It’s a very effective scene.

The directing really is what elevates this film. There’s such an overall feel of glorious sensuality that never tips into sleaze. It’s a stunning film to look at. During dialogue scenes, there’s a lot of very effective close-ups to focus the action upon what the women are saying instead of the beautiful scenery. The tone of this film is exactly right. This is a case where I might not buy all of what the film is selling but it’s a very clearly realized vision that’s probably exactly what the director intended.

My issues with A Sweet Journey are moral rather than artistic. Some parts of this movie have not aged well if they were okay to begin with. Until the end, the film makes light of sexual harassment and assault. Men semi-frequently harass Hélène and Lucie but they never react or discuss it. It’s just an unremarkable part of their lives and the film’s sensual atmosphere. The film’s views on consent are also muddy. Then there’s the depictions of Hélène and Lucie’s childhood experiences. These scenes involve what seem to be underage actresses. Lucie recollects her first kiss at age 12 with her 20 year old cousin. So we see a depiction of an underage girl kissing an adult woman. This memory is never acknowledged as molestation. Hélène’s scene involves her rape by an adult man. This scene features the young actress fully nude. Not ideal.

I am giving A Sweet Journey a positive review because of the quality of its acting and directing. However, parts of this movie have very much not aged well or were fucked up to begin with. This is a major case of your mileage may vary. O don’t want to entirely discard a 40 year old movie for questionable sexual politics. The majority of the film is an engaging and beautiful depiction of a really fascinating and unique relationship anchored by performances from Geraldine Chaplin and Dominique Sanda. However, it is also true that without the questionable use of underage actresses and a better understanding of consent, I would have enjoyed the film a whole lot more.

Overall rating: 7/10

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