Beau Pere (1981)

I was 14 years old and traveling to Florida and we spent the night in a hotel. I was up late watching HBO when this movie came on. As I sat and watched it I was mesmerized by Patrick Deweare! The movie and his performance touched something very deep in me, I became an instant fan of his and the memory of that movie stayed with me for years. I purchased the movie as an adult. I think it was the deep sadness that emanated from him, just the sad looks he would convey without actually speaking. I love this movie as much today as I did at 14, which at that time I did not know that he had just died. With the advent of the Internet I was able to find out much more about this man who's performance haunted me and learned where that sadness came from.

A gorgeously photographed and steamy tale of forbidden passion.Boasting a superb lead performance by Patrick DeWaere as a young Frenchman battling to stifle the seductive advances of his breathtakingly beautiful step-daughter, it is grounded by fascinating character detail and an intelligent, focused script that is deeply interested in the complexities of love and desire.Ariel Besse is the step-daughter and she is a bubbling, nubile cauldron of curiosity and mischief.Sacha Vierny's moody photography is worthy of a coffee table hardcover and Philip Sarde's score is perfection.A delicious, provocative, mature tale of sexual politics.

When a woman is killed in a car wreck, she leaves behind a husband and a daughter by an exhusband who become the center of gravity of the film. As the step father and beautiful 14 year old nymphet share their grief under the same roof, the girl reveals an uncommon maturity as she insinuates herself into the step father's life by taking on her mother's responsibilities and demanding her place in his bed. What follows is an unemotional, matter of fact, tastefully presented tale of two people whose familial love morphs into something more as they grapple with all the issues which come with their extraordinary and taboo relationship. "Beau Pere" aims for the head and ricochets off the heat but leaves the crotch alone. Not "Lolita" and not a film about pedophilia or seduction, this flick should be an interesting watch for anyone into films about atypical romantic relationships. (B+)

Please! Give me a break. The cast is dead, stiff and waxy looking. A weak premise that she is so demanding, that no one could deny her, is preposterious. This film is not erotic. It had to be made by 10-year-olds. What a waste of time, not to mention celloid.