Homme au bain, Man at Bath

2010
Dir. Christophe Honoré
With François Sagat, Chiara Mastroianni, and Dennis Cooper
Digital Projection, 75 min

Originally conceived as a short, “Man at Bath” is part of a project sponsored by the Théâtre de Gennevilliers and commissioned by fellow director Olivier Assayas.  For the project directors where asked to make films set in the Paris suburb of Gennevilliers.

Taking inspiration from the French Impressionist painter, Gustave Caillebotte, a former Gennevilliers resident, “Man at Bath," takes its title from Caillebotte's painting of a naked man, seen from behind, drying himself with a towel.

Expanding upon this example of the male gaze, the film traces the final days of a troubled relationship.  Split between Gennevilliers and New York, “Man at Bath” follows the filmmaker Omar (Omar Ben Saellem) and the hustler Emmanuel (Françios Sagat) as they go to great lengths to prove to each other they're no longer in love.  An honest examination of desire, relationships, and the struggle therein “Man at Bath” is a brave look at alterative models of love and life.