Sexual Chronicles Of A French Family 2012 French: New
Beneath the nudity, the film attempts to be a sociological critique. The Rostagne family is wealthy, attractive, and comfortable, yet they are profoundly disconnected. The film posits that despite the sexual revolution, modern families still operate under a veil of silence regarding desire.
Romain’s "crime" in the opening scene is not just a sexual act, but an act of honesty in a repressed environment. By exposing the family’s parallel sexual journeys—the father’s shame, the mother’s infidelity, the daughter’s promiscuity—the film argues that the "taboo" isn't sex itself, but the refusal to discuss it openly.
No article about this film can avoid the central technical fact that led to its notoriety: all sexual acts depicted are unsimulated. The actors engage in real oral sex, penetration, and masturbation. In France, the film received a "forbidden for under-18" rating, narrowly avoiding classification as hardcore pornography due to its "artistic and educational merit." sexual chronicles of a french family 2012 french new
This creates a strange, Brechtian effect. When you watch a Hollywood sex scene, you are aware of the choreography, the body doubles, the pillows strategically placed. In Sexual Chronicles, the lack of simulation creates a raw, almost uncomfortable intimacy. However, paradoxically, the film’s dialogue is so stilted and its direction so cold that the effect is not arousing—it is alienating.
Critics noted that the actors often look disconnected from their own bodies. In one infamous scene, Hélène (the mother) has sex with her lover while discussing Rousseau and the social contract. The camera holds a medium shot, steady and uncaring. The result is less like erotic cinema and more like a biology lecture. This was intentional. Directors Barr and Arnold have stated in interviews that they wanted to "de-eroticize the explicit" to reveal the emotional mechanics beneath. Beneath the nudity, the film attempts to be
Upon release in France, the film was initially slapped with an X-rating (pornographic classification). This would have relegated it to a handful of dingy theaters in Pigalle, effectively killing its arthouse credibility.
The directors fought back. They argued that the film had a legitimate educational purpose and was protected under artistic freedom laws. In a landmark ruling, the French courts downgraded the film to a standard "Forbidden for under-18s" rating. This allowed it to screen at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival (Directors' Fortnight) and in mainstream cinema chains. Romain’s "crime" in the opening scene is not
In the UK, the BBFC cut 19 seconds of a specific scene involving the younger brother watching a video, citing child protection laws (even though the actor was an adult playing a minor). In the US, the film was released unrated, primarily playing in New York and Los Angeles before hitting niche streaming platforms like Mubi and the now-defunct Virginie.
