Knife & Heart

Avant-garde queer French filmmaker Yann Gonzalez' sophomore feature may be more accessible than his debut, "Les Rencontres D'Après Minuit" (remembered mainly for footballer Eric Cantona's impressive prosthetic organ), but this campy gay slash horror flick is still an acquired taste.

"Knife and Heart" is set in 1970s. Someone is killing the cast and crew of a gay porn movie being produced by a slightly deranged, and recently dumped, lesbian boss called Anne Pareze (played by a very excitable and impassioned Vanessa Paradis). The object of her affection is Loïs (Kate Moran), the editor of all her prolific cheap porno films, and whilst Anne may make a mess of trying to win her back, she is a great deal more successful touring construction sights and persuading hunky laborers to take their clothes off for money.

In a movie where everyone is part of the porn industry, there is surprisingly very little flesh on site, and Gonzalez' stylized film gives far more graphic detail to the bloody murders. After the first stabbing, however, there is little suspense as we wait for the perpetrator to find his next victim. The police don't show much interest in investigating the crimes, and Anne tastelessly uses them for the plot of her next porn film - which she calls "Homicidal."

This soft-porn farce is both funny and baffling, and at its Cannes debut it received some very good reviews, but plenty of bad ones, too. Our jury is still out on this, but we'll probably end up opting for somewhere in the middle.