Baise-moi

Released Jun 1, 2001

1h 16m

Mystery & Thriller

List

22%

58 Reviews

Tomatometer

37%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Manu (Raffaela Anderson) has lived a difficult life. Abused and violently raped, she sets off to find herself only to meet Nadine (Karen Bach), a prostitute who has encountered one too many injustices in the world. Angry at the world, they embark on a twisted, rage-filled road trip. They choose to have sex when they please and kill when they need. Leaving a trail of mischief and dead bodies in their wake. Generating a media blitz and man hunt, soon everyone is out to capture the young fugitives.

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Critics Consensus

Heavy on the sex and violence, Baise Moi is not so much a daring as a sloppy piece of work.

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Wayne K

A film that's just begging to be banned and/or censored, Baise-moi, isn't exactly high art, but I found myself surprisingly compelled by it, mostly due to its characters and the bizarre and bloody odyssey they go on. The violence and sexual content is as graphic as you'd expect from a film with this kind of reputation, but I think what likely bothered people so much about it is the flippancy with which its treated. The leads kill at will while expressing no remorse, even acting gleefully in some instances, and the implication that a rape victim could be so nonplussed by the experience is bound to ruffle some feathers. The poor visual quality gives it a very stripped down, home movie feel, like its being made by a crazed film student using the cheapest camcorder they could get their hands on. If you've seen Natural Born Killers, the vibe and general storyline will feel very familiar to you, right down to the attention our leads receive from the media. Watching it is far from a pleasant experience, but it's interesting characters and escalating storyline were enough to keep me invested until the very end.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

Gary W

Most critic's hated it but for me it will always be a great movie. Often described as Thelma & Louise on crack, which is strangely a pretty fair description, this is the road movie from hell. Basically 77 minutes of violence, sex & nudity this is certainly not a film for minors. It's just a shame it appears to have been filmed in SD as the quality isn't up to the standards of Blu-ray. Review based on the US import & not the edited UK version.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/25/23

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Audience Member

Street-art on celluloid: technically crude, but that perfectly fits the primal cry that the movie is. Don't expect a "balanced view" of grunge life in France— written by an ex-prostitute, co-directed by a porn star, the question the movie throws at you is "What kind of life experience do these violent fantasies spring from?" The film's honesty is stunning.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

Shit, shocking, but unsatisfying like smoking bad hash as they do in the movie. The nudity does not add anything productive.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

At the same time as I don't recommend this film to anyone as a 'must watch' , I found this film incredibly cathartic, and almost recognized something in the anger of the main characters. It is a vengeance film of two women, two sex workers, who have had enough and find solidarity and love in each other.I think their relationship is awesome. I also do ship them to be fair...I love the sound track some good french rock bands. I think it's quite heartfelt story, explores many taboos around sex with stangers, promiscuity, and women's societal image. Written and acted by sex workers, it is not exactly a porn film and none of the sex scene are made for the eye of a man audience; but they are not excatly sexy either - quite visceral and disturbing to watch, they do not focus on emotion, feelings, or cock: the sex is orchestrated by the girls and doesnt lose time in chitchats: they know what theyre after because they know they re gonna die., and also, they dont give a single shit about this world who'se fucked them over in many ways: finding each other was a blessing at a time when they need it most. I love the dialogue and their characters. " isnt it strange that we meet at this time?" "no, it was now or it would have been never". ill end with a quote "the more you fuck, the less you think. the less you think, the better your sleep" like, yes girl. Anyway, I would actually pay to see them fuck. Also, the tall one is clearly in love with her friend, which I fucking adore. Anyway, wouldnt recommend to many people, but fuck I love it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Joan P R

I watched this with an open mind - I had read King Kong Theory by Virginie Despentes with much interest - but this film was entirely unenjoyable. All the humanity that Despentes has claimed for downtrodden women and for men trapped in their conventional male roles, and all her claims about the liberating effects of her experience of prostitution and coming to terms with rape, are absent from this grim tale of random violence and random sex. Some scenes are yes interesting and provocative, but the complete lack of human sympathy or sense of justice undermines any claims this may wish to make for abused women. In the end all the hard core does not help, it lacks credibility.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/01/18

Full Review

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Virginie Despentes

Director

Raffaela Anderson

Manu

Karen Lancaume

Nadine

Hervé Pierre-Gustave

Martin

Marc Rioufol

The Architect

Ouassini Embarek

Radouan

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Brandon Judell

indieWire

What we have here is a hard-core and sometimes condomed "Thelma and Louise" with a good dose of Russ Meyer's "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill" thrown in.

Apr 26, 2014

Full Review

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

The mix of real sex and fake-looking violence in this 2000 French feature is curiously unprovocative.

Feb 8, 2010

Full Review

Tom Dawson

BBC.com

Rated: 2/5

Apr 22, 2002

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

I was not shocked, I was not moved, and by and large I was not impressed.

Rated: C-

Sep 7, 2022

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 1.5/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

Jeanne Aufmuth

Palo Alto Weekly

Rated: 3.5/4

May 14, 2003

Full Review

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Synopsis

Manu (Raffaela Anderson) has lived a difficult life. Abused and violently raped, she sets off to find herself only to meet Nadine (Karen Bach), a prostitute who has encountered one too many injustices in the world. Angry at the world, they embark on a twisted, rage-filled road trip. They choose to have sex when they please and kill when they need. Leaving a trail of mischief and dead bodies in their wake. Generating a media blitz and man hunt, soon everyone is out to capture the young fugitives.

Director: Virginie Despentes
Producer: Dominique Chiron
Screenwriter: Coralie, Elaine Despins, Virginie Despentes
Distributor: FilmFixx, Remstar Distribution
Production Co: Toute Premiere Fois, Le Studio Canal +, Pan Européenne Production, Take One
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: French (Canada)
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 1, 2001, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA): $271.4K
Runtime: 1h 16m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Surround, Dolby SR