Ms Kathleen's Movie Review

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Most of Severine’s fantasies revolve around her being submissive顺从 — willing to obey. She likes it when a client handles her a little rough. She likes to be passive during sex. The brothel allows some of her fantasies to become reality. Nevertheless, she also discovers that fantasies are at times best when they only exist in the arena of the mind. For example, she has the fantasy of wanting to be bound and whipped. However, when a young, male client, Marcel (who is a gangster) becomes too attached to Belle de Jour, he gets angry when she is away for a couple of weeks while on vacation with her husband. When she returns to the brothel, Marcel comes by and he attempts to beat her with his belt. After only one strike, Severine stands up to him and forbids him to ever hit her again. Marcel backs down. Severine realizes that she is in fact a strong woman and that she really does not want to be whipped by a man.

Severine is indeed a strong woman, even though she has masochistic fantasies. She totally controls her husband, denying him sex while she has sexual flings in the afternoon at the brothel. Her husband is handsome, successful and intelligent but he is weak when compared to Severine.