The School of Flesh (1998)

This second filming of the Yukio Mishima story School of Flesh transports it to contemporary France, and director Benoit Jacquot makes excellent use of the change, exploring the unspoken boundaries of race, class, sexual orientation, and age that persist even among Parisians who congratulate themselves on their urbanity. As the protagonist, a successful career woman on the far end of youth, Isabelle Huppert radiates a self-assurance capable of being punctured only by an uncontrollable passion. This she finds in the form of a part-time hustler/bartender played by Vincente Martinez in an excellent first performance. Focusing intently on the relationship of his leads, Jacquot lets the story unfold more through small details than major developments, which arrive with such foreshadowing that they seem like inevitabilities; the question isn't whether or not Martinez and Huppert's relationship will crumble, but when and how. Jacquot not only makes this a matter of great interest but, with a subtlety that's becoming a trademark, ties it into their overall cultural milieu. Beautifully played, it's a film about how youth invariably turns into maturity or destroys itself, and one that also offers sharp commentary on its own time and place. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide