Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more
 

Noir et Blanc (1986)

Director: Claire Devers

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Accountant Antoine (Frappat) is so shy that his health club boss suggests a massage to reduce tension. Thus he takes his first steps into a secret life of self-discovery, shame and pain. Devers' debut, adapted from Tennessee Williams' short story Desire and the Black Masseur, is a compelling look at an asexual sado-masochistic relationship between two utterly ordinary men. Shot, rightly, in black-and-white, the film never romanticises the tender emotions that grow in a climate of sinister ritual and silent desire, nor does it fall prey to easy moralising or racial stereotypes. Until the enigmatic final scene, Devers' quiet observations are lucid, often touching and funny. Most impressively, the handling of potentially sensationalist subject matter is discreet but tough. The performances, too, are admirably understated.

Author: GA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Cast & crew

Director: Claire Devers

Cast: Francis Frappat, Jacques Martial, Joséphine Fresson, Marc Berman, Claire Rigollier, Benoît Régent, Isaach De Bankolé full cast

Duration: 80 mins


Features

Making a name for himself

Making a name for himself

Sin Nombre's Cary Joji Fukunaga learned his lessons well.

To the letter

Forty years later, Costa-Gavras's Z still brims with fury.

Mind over matter

David Cronenberg reflects on a most bizarre body: his own corpus of work.

Fool's gold

Can an Oscar win lead to a cursed career? Here are five stories of postaward professional meltdowns.

We are the championed

Terrorists and teens abound in this year's "Film Comment Selects."

A history of violence

Matteo Garrone's kaleidoscopic Gomorrah wallops you with Italy's crime crisis.

True romantic

James Gray exchanges urban amorality for amour in Two Lovers.

Playing in the dark

MoMA salutes pianist Stuart Oderman's 50 years as the one-man sound of silents.

Junk bonds

Cast and crew recall the making of the classic NYC drug drama The Panic in Needle Park.