Birforum

 
  Directed by Roman Polanski
  Produced by Roman Polanski
  Written by Gérard Brach
  John Brownjohn
  Roman Polanski
  Starring Hugh Grant
  Emmanuelle Seigner
  Kristin Scott Thomas
  Peter Coyote
  Music by Vangelis
  Cinematography Tonino Delli Colli
  Editing by Hervé de Luze
  Distributed by Fine Line Features
  Running time 138 min.
 
  Plot summary
 
  A very prim and proper British couple, Fiona and Nigel, are on a   Mediterranean cruise ship to Istanbul, en route to India. They encounter   another couple on the ship, the seductive French woman Mimi and her   paraplegic American husband Oscar, who is a failed writer.
 
  The story unfolds as Oscar invites Nigel to his cabin where he recalls   in a series of episodes, how he and Mimi met on a bus in Paris and fell   in love, and then how their relationship went horribly wrong.
 
  During a series of flashbacks, Oscar recounts how his and Mimi's love   takes a darker turn. They explore bondage, sado-masochism, urolagnia,   and voyeurism. Slowly their self-absorbed relationship decays and Oscar   tries to break-up with Mimi. She begs him to let her live with him under   any conditions and he sees the opportunity to explore sadistic   fantasies at her expense.
 
  Oscar increasingly subjects Mimi to public humiliation, until she   becomes pregnant. Oscar persuades her that he would be a terrible father   and that she should have an abortion. Whilst recovering from the ordeal   Oscar visits her and is shocked by her condition. He almost relents his   attempts to drive her away but instead promises her a holiday somewhere   exotic. We next see them together on the plane and just before it takes   off, Oscar fakes illness and abandons the flight with her on board.
 
  Oscar's tale continues with him immersing himself in a world of parties   and one-night stands for the next two years. The hedonistic lifestyle   ends when he drunkenly steps in front of a vehicle. A much more   confident-looking Mimi visits him in hospital, where he is recovering   from minor injuries and a broken leg. By manipulating Oscar's traction   device, Mimi cripples Oscar in an extremely cruel display of violence.   We later learn that he is now paraplegic.
 
  Mimi informs Oscar that she will look after him and moves back into the   apartment to be his full-time caretaker. She revels in dominating and   humiliating him, to the extent that she seduces friends in front of him.   Oscar is filled with self-loathing and seems to believe that he   deserves this treatment.
 
  The flashbacks end and Nigel is both shocked and appalled. He is   intrigued by Mimi and encouraged by Oscar to have an affair with her. He   finds himself attracted to Mimi but lacks confidence to approach her   directly. His wife, Fiona, repeatedly warns him not to stray too far as   anything he can do, she can do better.
 
  Later during the New Year's Eve party, Nigel attempts to dance with Mimi   but she seems only partially interested. Oscar tells him to try harder   or risk losing her to another. As Nigel attempts again to woo Mimi, she   informs him that Fiona has arrived and that she is watching them.
 
  Nigel hurriedly greets Fiona, and learns that Oscar had had her reminded   to come to the party. Fiona is not impressed with Nigel's behaviour but   is with Mimi. The two ladies take to the dance floor and are encouraged   by the crowd to dance passionately and embrace. Together the ladies   leave and Nigel looks crestfallen. Oscar's attempts to philosophize only   serve to enrage Nigel. He goes outside and screams his frustration into   the wind and waves.
 
  Later, we see Nigel awake from a drunken stupor and go looking for   Fiona. He finds her in Mimi's cabin where Oscar has clearly watched the   ladies exhaust themselves sexually. In a moment of rage, Nigel grabs   Oscar's throat only to have a gun pointed at him. Oscar is clearly   highly distressed and shoots the sleeping Mimi several times as Fiona   cowers beside her, before blowing the back of his head off.
 
  Finally we see the bodies being stretchered off the ship and minor   character interactions. Fiona and Nigel are left embracing one another   and sobbing as the credits start to roll.
 

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