Why Gaspar Noé features real sex scenes in ‘Love’
In the realm of provocative cinema, few directors command as much attention and debate as Gaspar Noé. The Argentine-born French filmmaker, known for his audacious narrative choices and unflinchingly raw portrayal of humanity, has consistently courted controversy throughout his career. Before delving into the specifics of his most controversial piece, it’s worth noting the broader strokes of his filmography: tales of violence, addiction, and the darkest facets of human emotion.
In 2015, the Cannes film festival witnessed another Noé spectacle. While in 2013, Blue is the Warmest Colour had sparked conversations with its explicit content and swept up the coveted Palme d’Or, in came Noé’s Love two years later, pushing the envelope even further with its unsimulated sexual encounters – all presented in vivid 3D. Such was the film’s impact that it became the focal point of discussions, pushing almost every other entry completely out of the discourse.
Noé’s penchant for the audacious wasn’t something new. He had previously traversed themes of violence in films like his debut, I Stand Alone, and the harrowing 2002 revenge thriller, Irreversible. However, the conception of Love predates these films, with Noé initially wanting Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel (then a married pair) to be the leads. Having previously worked on a string of violent French films, Noé assumed the couple would game for his newest project. However, with the script featuring vivid descriptions of up-close, totally real male ejaculation, perhaps it’s unsurprising that the duo didn’t immediately leap at the chance to star in Love.
Finding mainstream actors wary of such explicit roles, Noé finally cast Karl Glusman, a relatively unknown American actor, along with French actors Aomi Muyock and Klara Kristin. Speaking to The Irish Examiner, Noé remarked on his casting process, saying, “The good thing about this movie is all the people I proposed to be on-screen knew my previous movies and knew we were doing something valuable, a real movie about a real subject — love — and not something dirty.”
The filming process was as intense as you might imagine. Glusman recalled a particularly challenging scene filmed on the first day: a close-up of his genitals. It was an experience that left him contemplating an escape to the airport and a swift return to the US. But, with time, he adapted, even when subjected to the scrutinising gaze of a film crew.
At the heart of Noé’s decision to include actual sex in Love was a desire to portray genuine intimacy, far removed from the detached and often unrealistic depictions found in adult films. “In what you call ‘adult movies’ there are no feelings at all… It’s like a separate world that has nothing to do with normal life,” he mused. His intention was clear: to spotlight facets of love and intimacy often glossed over in mainstream cinema, to challenge the status quo and question societal norms.
Ultimately, Love isn’t just about explicit content. Through the story of Murphy, a filmmaker drowning in the memories of his past relationships, Noé paints a portrait of passion, addiction, and the destructive power of love. Reflecting on the universal theme, Noé observed, “There is something in the chemicals when we’re in love that really drives us crazy. The movie shows that love is not only a land of pleasure and joy but also a land of war and fear.”
