Ma Belle, My Beauty

Ma Belle, My Beauty is a poly film taking place in French wine country. There is a consistent, low level of simmering sensuality to every frame of the film. The feeling of this fictional world is one where no one has ever farted. Not just the main characters, anyone. Because nothing so childish and unsexy as a fart could exist in a world so steeped in the steamy sensual atmosphere of Ma Belle, My Beauty.

The film begins with Lane travelling to France to reconnect with Bertie and Fred. The three used to be in a relationship where Fred and Lane both dated Bertie but not each other as Lane is a lesbian. After years apart, Bertie and Fred are now married. But Bertie especially isn’t exactly experiencing wedded bliss. The circumstances regarding Lane leaving are only hinted at. But whatever they were, it was apparently a circumstance that’s lead to the parties simultaneously still holding anger towards one another while also being super horny as well. The three dance around the topic of whether or not they should take up again as a trio. A lot of the movie is them switching between gazing intensely at each other and passive aggressively sniping at one another. But Lane complicates the matter by also pursuing a young woman named Noa while staying with Fred and Bertie.

Ma Belle, My Beauty definitely owes a huge debt to Call Me By Your Name. This is not a bad thing. I loved Call My Be Your Name and really admired its use of steamy, summertime sensuality and queer content. That’s the same driving factor here. Ma Belle, My Beauty is a languid, decadent experience of a movie. Its main positive is how exceedingly nice it is to look at. The film is rife with gorgeous locations and cinematography that feels simultaneously inviting but yearning as you want to join this warm, beautiful universe and its beautiful people but can’t because you’re watching it on a TV in your basement.

Conflict is minimal as to not distract from its sensual, inviting atmosphere. The stakes are really just Lane deciding whether or not she wants to get back with Bertie. It’s not exactly life or death. And there’s definitely a place for movies like this. The vibe of Ma Belle, My Beauty is basically three people who’d throw an absolutely great dinner party. It’s been a tough couple of years. And sometimes that’s what you want; a queer movie about casually rich and attractive people with sexy problems who would throw a decadent and low-key sexy dinner party you’d reminisce on for years to come.On the other hand, it can go a bit too far. The above scene where they all wander around drunk with Fred holding a trumpet and an open bottle of wine made me want to physically fight all three of these privileged, sexy people.

The summary of Ma Belle, My Beauty offered when I rented the film promised that this wasn’t “poly 101”. I guess that means that they take the poly aspect as a given and don’t focus on it too much. At one point a character asks Lane how did it work to have a girlfriend who also had a boyfriend. Lane basically responds “it was fine and not a problem” and that’s the end of that. This is very much a relationship drama that happens to be poly instead of one that really explores how that relationship works or what it looks like. The phrase I use is “matter of fact queerness” (or in this case, bisexual polyamory). That’s very much the case here. The fact that Bertie has a husband doesn’t change the way Lane interacts with her or their relationship.

As a lesbian, I was also thrilled to see how little Fred factored into this. Ma Belle, My Beauty is very much about the relationship between Lane and Bertie. Fred is just also there holding a trumpet and a bottle of wine. And he exits the movie in the third act so Lane and Bertie can have their proper anger blow-out and subsequent sexy sex scene. Very cool and feminist of him to completely third wheel this movie so that the focus of it is absolutely WLW relationships.

I enjoyed Ma Belle, My Beauty. Its languid, sensual atmosphere felt warm, inviting and with a consistent low simmer of horniness. In the immortal words of Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there.” As a poly movie, it is nice to see one that takes the poly aspect as more matter of fact instead of devoting so much screen time to explaining the parameters. And Ma Belle, My Beauty took all that saved screen time and turned it into glorious slow motion shots of a bunch of hot people with minimal issues having dinner parties in France’s wine country. I’m here for it.

Overall rating: 7.1/10

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