One of Eric Rohmer's moral tales, La collectionneuse scans like a French novel, all philosophical interior monologue, but the trick to such narratives is to question the narrator's point of view. In this case, Patrick Bauchau's Adrien is the lead character, but not central to the drama. Rather, he and his sadistic artist friend share a friend's summer villa with Haydée, a young woman who they are absolutely wretched to. Because she's sex positive, she's necessarily a "collector of men", and because she doesn't sleep with THEM, she's insignificant or a tease. Regardless, she's an object to them, and the male gaze is established almost from the first shot. Each character gets a prologue, and hers is silent, body-centric. They are Rohmer characters, intellectuals who feel the need to justify themselves and their impulses, but she's an enigma. Except she isn't. She can be taken at face value. It's Adrien who reframes her being, who makes her every word and action about himself. The ending very much exemplifies his narcissism and hypocrisy, saying one thing in voice-over, then proving himself wrong in the action. If his POV wasn't suspect before (and it was), then you need to go back after reevaluate everything he said before, and everything you believed about the situation.

Gorgeous looking film

Beautiful, well composed cinematography with droning, unlikable characters. (6/10)