MovieChat Forums > Romance (1999) Discussion > SPOILER: What about the cat?

SPOILER: What about the cat?

posted 17 years ago by m_antonioni
6 replies | jump to latest

I've just watched Romance, and found it to be an ordinary French art film. I don't see what all the fuss was about. If the film provoked controversy, the only reason I can see for that is that some people think it is inappropriate for women to portray their attitude toward sex in movies: all representation of sex in movies must be from the male point of view.

But I digress. When Marie was leaving the apartment to give birth, after having opened the valves on the gas stove, there was a shot of a white cat sleeping comfortably on the bed. So she killed not only her boy friend, but also this cat, which had made no appearance before.

So what was the point of introducing the cat as victim? Marie had a justification to kill her boy friend: he had rejected her as a lover, even though he wanted to live with her. But she couldn't have been justified in killing the cat. So the only reason I can think of for introducing the victimized cat is that the the film maker wanted to distance herself from the character of Marie.

Anyone have any other ideas?

[–] davidgoesboating 17 years ago

Well I don't know how you could possibly say that it is more morally wrong to kill a cat than a person, especially if the latter's only crime is being a bastard :P

[–] Pete-230 17 years ago

She had JUSTIFICATION to kill her boyfriend? Because he did not want her as a lover? After she'd slept with half of Paris?

I'm glad I'm not your significant other. If someone is, I recommend that that person keep one eye open around you at all times.

FWIW, I felt sorry for the cat, too.

[–] bijou-2 17 years ago

I think you are giving this movie too much credit. Since most of the dialogue seems inprovised I suspect someone just happened to bring a cat that day or there was a bad pussy joke we missed somewhere.

None of the characters are consistent in their actions or motivations. I would call it bad writing except I suspect there was no writing at all involved.

I sure hope some of those voice-overs made sense in French and the subtitle service was just incompetent.

Seventies porn was more honest than this mess.

[–] aw083 17 years ago

Did nobody find it weird that there was a cat there even though it had never been there before? did it have significance? Personally I do think it was a bad pussy joke...there's no significance to the existence of the cat other than that.

-Note to self, less talk!- (Xander Harris)

[–] Greatornot 13 years ago

The cat was white. The symbolism being purity. Paul was the type that lost respect for a woman after she easily gave him sex. Thus the pure pussy in the bed was apt.

[–] sweetupanddown11 13 years ago

The cat and the funeral with the horses & carriage are a shoutout to the film Belle De Jour ... another masochistic French film and one of the groundbreaking films of the genre that muddles fantasy & reality within sexual exploits and desires.