MY MISTRESS
Australia, 2014, 104 minutes, Colour.
Harrison Gilbertson, Emmanuelle Beart, Rachael Blake, Socratis Otto.
Directed by Stephen Lance.
The use of the term “mistress” suggests a sexual theme. But, it is not quite the theme or treatment that we might have anticipated.
First of all, this is a story set in Queensland, in the suburbs. The “my” of the title is a 16-year-old boy, Charlie (Harrison Gilbertson). We first see him jumping on the top of an old car, smoking, having a drink, riding his bike home. A teenager story?
Then, almost immediately, he finds his father hanging in the garage and having to cut him down, going into a party in the house, a crowd with loud music, to tell his mother (Rachael Blake). Throughout the film, the plot focuses on this relationship between son and mother, quite tense, Charlie developing a hostility to his mother, his mother concerned and frustrated.
But, on the way home on his bike, he has noticed a woman moving into a house and her impatience with the removalists. Later, he goes to the house out of curiosity, goes inside and he, and we, perhaps, are rather shocked to find that the “mistress” of the title is a dominatrix. She is played by French actress, Emmanuelle Beart.
Over the years, there have been several serious Australian films about sexuality, including some of the more perverse aspects, like Sleeping Beauty. This film is different, looking at the reactions of the teenager, especially after the bereavement of his father’s death, his visists to the house, his growing infatuation with the dominatrix, who has the down-to-earth name, Maggie. He gets a job working in her garden, though she lays down strict conditions. But, he is impressionable and vulnerable, fantasises about her at home, is curious about her clients.
With sado-masochism in the suburbs, it is a bit hard to take it all, chambers and whips, all that seriously. There is a key scene where Maggie hides Charlie in a coffin with a peephole while she dominates a client with humiliating behaviour. Charlie gets the giggles. Which means that while the film highlights the seriousness as we look at what goes on, it often seems quite ludicrous. Maggie’s comment to Charlie is that this experience is not what the client wants but what the client needs.
When it is revealed that Maggie has a little boy who is in foster care, the film takes on a much more human dimension. As Charlie becomes more and more involved, even driving Maggie to see her little boy, we wonder what will and can become of this relationship. Maggie has a lot of genuine feelings, is sympathetic to Charlie, but the relationship must come to an end.
Harrison Gilbertson acts well, giving some credibility to Charlie and his feelings, his understanding and lack of understanding, his dilemmas as a schoolboy. Emmanuelle Beart has portrayed somewhat similar characters in French films, but her character is not really explained, especially how and why she is in Queensland and who set her up in the house. Maybe these are distractions to the main emphasis of the film, but some explanation would add to the credibility of characters and plot.
While there are a couple of sado-masochistic scenes, the film is rather restrained, visually, leaving some aspects to the imagination of the audience. In an era when young people are exposed to sexual behaviour, reinforced by material available on the Internet, My Mistress does raise some questions about the effect on young people, and for the future.
1. Variation on the sado-masochist theme, the dominatrix? In the Australian suburbs?
2. Queensland, the bright sunshine, the rain, the streets, the parks, playgrounds, homes, the mansion, the pool? Interiors of homes? The mansion for the dominatrix? The feel of Queensland? The musical score?
3. The title, from Charlie’s point of view, the dominatrix and her equipment, the clients, the scenes of punishment, the touch of the ludicrous? The punishment being “what they need, rather than what they want”?
4. Emmanuelle Beart, her career, her roles, French background, beauty, in Australia, no explanations, speaking French, her son, moving into the mansion, setting up the house of torture, the scenes of her clients, the treatment? Leon and his control over Maggie? Her being a teacher, seeing her boy, the situation with him in care, the personnel and care, discussions with Maggie, the story of the accident, attempted suicide? Her hopes for her son?
5. Charlie, seeing him smoking, drinking, jumping on the car, riding his bike, the sounds of the party in the house, the difficulties in getting into the garage, finding his father hanging, cutting him down? His slow motion through the room, sitting, his mother coming to him? The funeral, the grief, seeing his mother kiss the neighbour, visual action?
6. Seeing Maggie and her unpacking, her impatience? His going to the house, getting in, seeing the client, shock? Applying for the job? Maggie’s conditions? The visits, the growing infatuation, her response? His being punished, the whip? His mother seeing his shoulders? Maggie’s advice to have the cold shower, the whiskey, incantation, giving his body? The masturbation scene in the shower, his sado-masochist fantasy? Growing curiosity, his work, lying by the pool, talking with Maggie, the proper cup of tea and her demands? His driving her to see her son? Playing computer games, drinking? The effect on him? Throwing of furniture into the pool? Going to the room, the sexual encounter – reticent in its visuals? Leon’s arrival, the clash, the fight, Maggie and her whip?
7. His mother, her concern, talking to her son, the visit to Maggie and the threats? Charlie and his hate for his mother, getting the psychologist, no response? The photos on the table, telling Charlie that he should leave, take what he wanted, return when he could? Sitting with photos, weeping, reconciliation with his mother?
8. The final meeting with Maggie, their agreement not to see each other?
9. Later in the park, playing with her son? Charlie and the school run?
10. A teenager dealing with grief, his father’s suicide, blaming himself? The infatuation with Maggie, the sado-masochism, his finding it funny (his watching the episode while in the coffin? Love and infatuation, having to leave, a film broader in scope than its title might have suggested?
