In a world of physical and mental decay, Camille Vidal-Naquet’s debut feature maintains a palpable sense of hope
Words Greg Taylor
Sauvage
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sauvage, as the title suggests, is about life on the fringes of society. In the shadowy gay cruising grounds, in the pounding techno clubs, the drug dens and the trash-strewn alleyways of an unnamed French city. It’s these bleak urban savannahs where our protagonist, an unnamed young man (Félix Maritaud), prowls and struts, fucks and frets, the image of a feckless man of lust. But inside he’s falling apart – distracted and distraught, overwhelmed with some kind of love a fellow street-hustler, a brutish paradox who refuses to kiss on the mouth but is happy to be the slavish toy boy to an obese john.
The debut feature from Camille Vidal-Naquet, Sauvage is full-on in its depiction of sex, violence and general decadence, but it never feels exploitive. In fact, it’s often painful and sad. Friendship is a transitory as a fleeting drug-exchange, while an awkward and bruising three-way with two abusive clients paints a grim, objective picture of the violent pursuit of arousal and excitement. The unblinking, documentary-like approach feels as though it could open the door for a French David Attenborough to offer some expert commentary: “And now… with feral power… the alpha inserts the well-lubed giant dildo up his pride-mate’s…”.
Like its main character, Sauvage meanders through its vague plot, but compelling vignettes offer moments of gentleness and hope as well as squalor, and even some wry humour. A visit to the doctor that opens the film veers in a surprising direction, deftly introducing a fluid world of fleeting identities, while foreshadowing the physical and mental (and, indeed, dental) decay festering within our twitchy, sad-eyed hero. And Maritaud gives a superb and compassionate performance, literally falling to bits as the film progresses but maintaining a palpable sense of hope, and maybe even dignity.
Sauvage is a tough, fascinating walk on the wild side, an eye-opening (and eye-popping) slice of real-life that doesn’t get much mainstream cinema-time. And while it doesn’t tread major new ground for queer cinema, it makes a compelling case for the genre being well worth serious attention.
Sauvage opens on 1st March
GREG TAYLOR
Film Editor