Anyone ever fallen asleep watching pornography? The Story of Richard O. almost has that effect. Starring The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’s Mathieu Amalric as sex addict Richard O., the 75-minute film is an erotic journey by Richard though 13 sexual encounters with some attractive, and some not-so attractive, females. This sums up the whole film; even the official synopsis cannot offer anything more than ‘In the sultry summer month of August, Richard O. encounters a series of seductive women in Paris and willingly descends into the tortuous mysteries of eroticism.’ But what can you say? It is a French film, and from Marquis de Sade to Serge Gainsbourg we are taught to believe the French are good at - if not obsessed by - finding the deeper meaning in love and lust.
The film was first shown at the HK International Film Festival (HKIFF) back in March and the tag line for its current promotional campaign indicates that audiences first hold their breath, then they are in an uproar and then there is heated discussion. The first two are true, I believe, as frequent scenes of full frontal - and back - nudity, sex in public spaces and erections are not something we often see in local cinemas. Recall how people, especially the local media, were shocked by the sex scenes in Lust, Caution last year (a girl actually screamed in the screening I attended). But as for heated discussion, I am not so sure. After the screening, the first thing my friend could say to me was, “Wow, this is high-end pornography!”
While The Story of Richard O. has no apparent intention to explore a deeper meaning to sex - like the cliched escape from the fear of life and death or from responsibilities etc - but is the simple and direct description of a sexual journey, it is still disappointing. The sex scenes are not particularly subversive, savage or poetic, any one of those would at least make the film more remarkable. The actual eye catcher in this film is the bizarrely tall and somewhat ugly Stephane Terpereau playing Richard O.’s friend (yes, his character doesn’t have a name), who, despite his weird physicality, engages in a blissful relationship with a sexy and wonderful woman he used to peep at. They look so awkward together, yet they actually bring warmth and sweetness to the end of the film. Another plus is the music from Canadian band Buck 65, which goes some way towards making the film enjoyable through its 75 minutes. If it wasn’t for that, yes, I would have soon nodded off, even though the movie is not pornography. At least it is not supposed to be.

Rachel Mok