The Sex Gourmet – Damage (1992)

#5 Jeremy Irons & Juliette Binoche

Having written four previous pieces on sex scenes which have toasted my loins, the time has come to vent spleen on a film where I have been left both frigid and entertained in the most unexpected way. And, it is with an amused and a slightly annoyed disposition that I do so.

‘Damage’ received decorated reviews upon its release and far be it from me to go against the consensus, especially from people whose opinions I would generally trust, but go against it I must. I am conflicted. Adding to my ire, the understated and beautiful Juliette Binoche is one of my favourite actors. Looking like she was born from a dew drop, I would normally be very excited to see her perform in a sexual role. Jeremy Irons, while I am not his biggest fan, has serious screen presence. I love how he looks. His severe, ‘cut from granite’ face, thin lips and tiger eyes have never failed to warm my cockles. Which leads me to ask, what makes a sex scene good? There is no one thing that will create an amazing sex scene. It is more than finding the partners attractive, more than explicitness also. In the case of this very serious film with tragic overtones, all I want is to not laugh hysterically.

Dr Stephen Fleming (played by Irons) is a conservative MP on top of his game. Tipped to be the next prime minister, he has an illustrious career, happy marriage and is father to two children. Anna Barton (played by Binoche) is an educated and complex young woman with a grievous past. She also happens to be the fianceé of Stephens eldest child, Martin (played by Rupert Graves).

Within 5 minutes of the film, Stephen and Anna meet. An immediate attraction is formed and they stare at each other for an excruciating 15 or more seconds without dialogue. My amusement has begun. Of course, this scene is attempting to portray the strength of sexual attraction, without character development, an attraction which needs no words or introduction. However, it feels overly dramatic, and lacking in finesse. Already my hopeful expectations have been tainted.

13 minutes in, Anna calls the stiff upper lip MP out of the blue and they arrange to meet. When Stephen arrives at her location, Anna is sitting on the edge of a bed. As he walks towards her, she slowly slides down the edge, her arms splayed like a horny Christ. Stephen kneels in front of her, grabs under her armpits and after an uncomfortable few seconds watching him attempt to kiss anywhere but her mouth, (cheeks and chin are the erogenous zones here) he lowers her to the ground. At this point Anna’s arms are raised high over his grasp, stiff, like a recently inflated sex doll. A smile is beginning to tickle my bemused face.

Stephen moves between her legs. I’m for a moment feeling optimistic, seeing Anna’s lace top hold-ups on display, and anticipating the relief of an old school, forbidden fuck.  Instead, after a fumble with belt and fly, in the most insipid fashion he enters her. To my absolute glee, while he continues this long, slow, one plunge invasion, I am hearing a prolonged squeak. What exactly is Anna’s pussy made of? Thankfully, about 2 movements later our MP is spent and lets out a high pitched yelp as he comes, sounding like a wounded dog that has been kicked up the jacksy with a pair of steel toe boots. Anna doesn’t seem to mind. She looks at him like she has received the best fuck of her life. I’m in stitches, in total awe of what has just taken place.

In the next encounter after a family meal, Stephen meets Anna. Her disposition is different from the first meeting. While Stephen is shaking with the strength of his feelings, he grabs the side of her face and asks her loudly many times ‘Who are you??’ Badly aimed kissing begins, and Stephen decides to rip and tear the little black dress from her shoulders. Anna seems to find this amusing which is not at all in line with the seriousness of the scene or her anguished partner. As he roughly embraces her, she loses her balance, falls backwards in her chair, all the while tittering like a village idiot. I am again bewildered by this and even more so by her continued giggling as she moves on her hands and knees away from Stephen. Is she showing nervous laughter, based on the strangeness of their reunion? I am not convinced if so.

Stephen is hotly in pursuit of her, and as she finds her balance to stand upright against a wall, Stephen hungrily slobbers on her exposed back. Anna loses her balance again, her chuckling now subsided, and is lying on a table exposed to his whims. There is a sexy promise here as Stephen slowly moves his hand up her nyloned thigh and explores her with his fingers, her head thrown back and mouth half open, we are very nearly seeing the first instance of chemistry. Unfortunately, the vibe does not last. The camera pulls back and we see Anna move away from the table and drunkenly stagger to a counter top. Stephen begins to fuck her from behind, and in a hilarious maneuver he humps her all along the counter’s length, looking like he is performing some sort of deviant crab walk. Anna’s head attempts a near 360 turn to kiss Stephen as this is occurring, a move that would rival a possessed Regan O’Neill.

I am aware how scathing the above descriptions are. As I write, I also realise that despite the comical effect these stylized sex scenes had on me, the reasoning behind their uniqueness may be somewhat necessary. A couple ashamed by their unrestrained attraction, their lovemaking is not there for us to enjoy in an erotic sense, but more to convey the angst and pain of their unlikely coupling. This is after all a near incestuous relationship. To play Devil’s Advocate further, the flailing sex moves may not necessarily be unerotic and hilarious to everyone. However they did not work for me. I was left chilly by each outlandish sexual position, and any chemistry that may have been present between both actors seemed lost in the ungainly moves on display. As there are 4 to 5 such scenes to sit through, it all seemed like overkill, each one fiercely reminding me of the first time I had to sit through an interpretive dance routine. Hellish.
Numerous films have dealt with sensitive subject of Amour Fou with explosive sex scenes (The Postman Always Rings Twice /1981 to mention just one) and most manage to convey the madness and lust in the relationship quite well, alongside a healthy dose of guilt. ‘Damage’ tries very hard to do this. It offers a disturbing sexual view of an obsessive relationship, which then ends like a Greek Tragedy. So why am I laughing so hard?

2/10: Dry as the Sahara

by Claire Fagan