Synopsis
Drawing some intriguing parallels between the work of the prostitute and that of the psychiatrist-both have clients, both charge for sessions, both take on roles that serve the needs, psychological or otherwise, of those they serve, Jeanne Labrune's drama stars Isabelle Huppert and Bouli Lanners as, respectively, Alice, a disaffected call girl and Xavier, a shrink with a crumbling domestic situation.
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Cast
- Isabelle HuppertAlice Bergerac
- Bouli LannersXavier Demestre
- Richard DebuisnePierre Cassagne
- Valérie DrévilleHélène Demestre
- Mathieu CarrièreRobert Masse
- Didier Bezacel'homme heureux et triste
- Christophe Odentle collectionneur de pipes
- Gilles Cohenle sportif élégant
- Frédéric PierrotFrançois Briand
- Karim LeklouBruno
Recommendations
- 80
Los Angeles Times
Special Treatment is a serious film, but Labrune allows a touch of dark comedy in her depictions of Alice's clients and Xavier's patients. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
At the end, there is no great revelation, but Huppert has succeeded once again in making us wonder what's going on in there. - 67
The A.V. Club
French drama Special Treatment draws a brazenly provocative parallel between the professions of psychiatry and prostitution. - 63
Slant Magazine
A portrait of gender-and job-transcending ennui, Special Treatment paints a vulgar picture of two apparently interwoven professions: prostitutes and shrinks. - 50
Variety
Again co-written by and co-starring writer-thesp Richard Debuisne, picture has some of the duo's trademark sharp dialogue but again fails to fully come together on a narrative level. - 50
Village Voice
That's why Special Treatment is so disheartening. The film, starring Huppert, quickly telegraphs that its ideas are too shallow for a talent as deep as hers. - 40
The Hollywood Reporter
With neither great insight nor any sign of wit, the film is not likely to capture interest outside France. - 40
Time Out
Director Jeanne Labrune (Vatel) makes the most out of having a compellingly watchable movie star at her disposal, but neither some odd stabs at humor nor Huppert's versatility do much to enliven what's essentially a superficially sexed-up soufflé.
