‘Last Summer’ Intrigues More With Its Ambiguity Than Its Controversial Content

Right from the start, through harrowing subject matter and steadfast, merciless closeups, we’re back in director Catherine Breillat’s particular world of expressionistic realism.

Via Sideshow and Janus Films
Léa Drucker, Samuel Kircher, and Olivier Rabourdin in 'Last Summer.' Via Sideshow and Janus Films

If some viewers found “Barbie” too anodyne even for a comedy, then the return of France’s “bad-girl” director, Catherine Breillat, should give them something more substantial to grapple with as she interrogates patriarchy and sexual politics. Known for provocative films such as “Fat Girl” and “Romance,” among others, Ms. Breillat adds to her controversial yet trenchant streak with her new movie “Last Summer,” focusing as it does on a relationship between a middle-aged woman and her teenage step-son.

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