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{{Short description|1992 film by Roman Polanski}}
{{for|the Romanian rock band|Luna Amară}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Bitter Moon
| image          = Bitter-Moon-Poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Roman Polanski]]
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* Roman Polanski
* [[Gérard Brach]]
* [[John Brownjohn]]
}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Evil Angels (novel)|Lunes de fiel]]''|[[Pascal Bruckner]]}}
| producer       = Roman Polanski
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Peter Coyote]]
* [[Emmanuelle Seigner]]
* [[Hugh Grant]]
* [[Kristin Scott Thomas]]
* [[Victor Banerjee]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Tonino Delli Colli]]
| editing        = [[Hervé de Luze]]
| music          = [[Vangelis]]
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* R.P. Productions
* Timothy Burrill Productions
* [[Alain Sarde|Les Films Alain Sarde]]
* [[StudioCanal|Canal+]]
}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* [[AMLF]] (France)
* [[Columbia Pictures]] (United Kingdom; through [[Sony Pictures Releasing|Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International]]<ref name="BBFC" />)
}}
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|1992|09|23|France|1992|10|02|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 139 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 139:01--><ref name="BBFC">{{cite web | title=''Bitter Moon'' (18) | url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/bitter-moon-1970-4 | publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=1992-08-07 | access-date=2012-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402224113/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/bitter-moon-1970-4 |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref>
| country        = {{Plainlist|
* France
* United Kingdom
}}
| language       = {{Plainlist|
* English
* French
}}
| budget         = 
| gross          = $1.9 million<ref>{{mojo title|bittermoon|Bitter Moon}}</ref>
}}
'''''Bitter Moon''''' is a 1992 [[Erotic thriller|erotic]] [[romantic thriller]] film co-written and directed by [[Roman Polanski]]. It stars [[Peter Coyote]], [[Emmanuelle Seigner]], [[Hugh Grant]] and [[Kristin Scott Thomas]]. The film's French title, ''{{lang|fr|Lunes de fiel}}'', is a pun on the French phrase "lune de miel", meaning "[[honeymoon]]". It is based on the novel ''Lunes de fiel'' by French author [[Pascal Bruckner]], published in English as ''[[Evil Angels (novel)|Evil Angels]]''. The score was composed by [[Vangelis]].

==Plot==
British couple Nigel and Fiona Dobson are on a Mediterranean cruise ship to [[Istanbul]] en route to India. They encounter a beautiful young French woman, Mimi, and that night, Nigel chats briefly with her in the ship's bar after seeing her dancing alone. Later, Nigel meets her much older and disabled American husband, Oscar Benton, who is a failed writer—acerbic, cynical and jaded.

Oscar invites Nigel to his cabin, where he tells Nigel in great detail how he and Mimi first met on a bus in Paris and fell passionately in love. Nigel relates all to Fiona. Both are appalled by Oscar's exhibitionism, but Nigel is also fascinated by Mimi, who provokes him. Oscar later narrates how they explored [[Bondage (BDSM)|bondage]], [[sadomasochism]] and [[voyeurism]]. As a contrast to their sexual adventurousness, Nigel and Fiona meet a distinguished Indian gentleman, Mr Singh, who is travelling with his little daughter Amrita.

Invited by Mimi, Nigel, escaping from a [[Contract bridge|bridge game]], goes to meet her in her cabin, only to find that she and Oscar have played a prank on him. Nigel wants to leave, but another session unfolds, with Oscar describing how their love–hate relationship developed. Bored, he tried to break up, but Mimi begged him to let her live with him under any conditions. He complied, but started to explore sadistic fantasies at her expense, humiliating her in public. When Mimi became pregnant, he made her have an abortion, saying that he would be a terrible father. When he visited her in hospital, he was shocked by her condition and almost relented in his attempts to drive her away. He promised her a holiday in the [[Caribbean]], but he got off the plane just before takeoff. Mimi departed alone, crying.

Leaving Oscar's cabin, Nigel meets Mimi and they kiss. Afterwards, he finds Fiona in the bar flirting with a young man. She warns Nigel not to stray too far, and that anything he can do, she can do better. Nigel goes to Oscar, who continues his narration. After two years of parties and one-night stands, he drunkenly stepped in front of a vehicle by accident. To his surprise, Mimi came to visit him in the hospital where he was recovering from minor injuries and a fractured [[femur]]. Mimi shook hands with him, then pulled him out of his bed and left him hanging in his traction device, leaving him paraplegic. Oscar had no choice but to let Mimi move in with him again and take care of him. She revelled in dominating and humiliating him, seducing men in front of him. When Oscar was desperate and wanted to die, she gave him a gun as a birthday present. Having experienced highs and lows together, they realised they needed each other and actually got married.

Nigel clumsily tries to woo Mimi, encouraged and coached by Oscar. Things come to a head at the [[New Year's Eve]] party, when Fiona catches them dancing together. Fiona tells him that Oscar had persuaded her to come to the party. She proceeds to dance seductively with Mimi, which culminates in a passionate kiss, cheered on by the other partygoers. A stormy sea interrupts the party and the two women leave together. Nigel goes outside clutching a bottle of liquor and screams his frustration into the wind and waves.

Nigel finds Fiona in Oscar's cabin, sleeping naked beside Mimi. Oscar claims the women have had sex together. Nigel grabs his throat, but Oscar points a gun at him and he backs off. Oscar shoots the sleeping Mimi twice, then kills himself. While the bodies of Oscar and Mimi are being stretchered off the ship, Nigel and Fiona, shaken, embrace each other. Mr Singh encourages his little girl to comfort them.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Hugh Grant]] as Nigel Dobson
* [[Kristin Scott Thomas]] as Fiona Dobson
* [[Emmanuelle Seigner]] as Micheline "Mimi" Bouvier
* [[Peter Coyote]] as Oscar Benton
* [[Victor Banerjee]] as Mr Isaiah Singh
* Sophie Patel as Amrita Singh
* Luca Vellani as Dado
* Boris Bergman as Oscar's friend
* {{ill|Olivia Brunaux|fr}} as Cindy
* Heavon Grant as Basil
* [[Stockard Channing]] as Beverly (uncredited)
}}

==Score==
The film's score by Vangelis was never officially released for sale, although bootlegs of the music taken directly from the film itself have since been produced.<ref name="discogs OST 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2628990-Vangelis-Bitter-Moon|title=Vangelis – Bitter Moon|website=[[Discogs]]|date=5 August 1999|access-date=2022-07-29}}</ref>

==Reception==
On its release in Europe (in 1992) and North America (in 1994), ''Bitter Moon'' was a commercial failure and received mixed reviews from critics. [[Derek Elley]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' commented that "Roman Polanski approaches rock bottom" and called the film "a phony slice of ''huis clos'' drama" with "a script that's all over the map and a tone that veers from outre comedy to erotic game-playing."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/1992/film/reviews/bitter-moon-1200430719/|title=Bitter Moon|last=Elley|first=Derek|author-link=Derek Elley|date=1992-09-01|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref> [[Janet Maslin]] wrote in ''[[The New York Times]]'': "Whatever else Mr. Polanski may be – nasty, mocking, darkly subversive in his view of the world – he definitely isn't dull. ''Bitter Moon'' is the kind of world-class, defiantly bad film that has a life of its own."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/18/movies/review-film-buttoned-down-people-unbuttoned-memories.html|title=Review/Film; Buttoned-Down People, Unbuttoned Memories|last=Maslin|first=Janet|author-link=Janet Maslin|date=1994-03-18|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref> A positive review came from [[Roger Ebert]], who said "Polanski directs it without compromise or apology, and it's a funny thing how critics may condescend to it, but while they're watching it you could hear a pin drop."<ref>{{cite news|first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bitter-moon-1994 |title=Bitter Moon |date=April 8, 1994 |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |via=[[RogerEbert.com]]}}</ref> ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' commented that "Polanski treats this slightly protracted tale of erotic obsession partly as deeply ironic black comedy", "rich and darkly disturbing" and "also wickedly entertaining."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/bitter-moon|title=Bitter Moon|magazine=[[Time Out London]]|date=10 September 2012|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref> Reviewing the film in 2009, Scott Tobias wrote: "''Bitter Moon'' is my favorite of the later-period Polanski films...nasty, potent, and psychologically knotty in a way that recalls the devil-may-care, ''enfant terrible'' Polanski of old."<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.avclub.com/the-new-cult-canon-bitter-moon-1798215618 |title=The New Cult Canon: Bitter Moon|last=Tobias|first=Scott|date=2009-01-28|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref> According to journalist [[Matthew Tempest]], he and film director [[Christopher Nolan]] shared "a soft spot" for ''Bitter Moon'' as students.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2011/feb/24/inception-christopher-nolan-film-oscar-director|first=Matthew|last=Tempest|author-link=Matthew Tempest|title=I was there at the Inception of Christopher Nolan's film career|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=24 February 2011 |access-date=6 September 2018}}</ref>

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|64||36|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}<ref>{{rotten-tomatoes|bitter-moon|Bitter Moon}}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|62|28|access-date=31 August 2024}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Bitter Moon |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bitter-moon/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>

===Year-end lists===
* 5th&nbsp;– [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]], ''[[Chicago Reader]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/rosenbaums-list/|title=Rosenbaum's List|newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]]|date=6 January 1994}}</ref>
* 7th&nbsp;– David Elliott, ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Elliott|first=David|date=25 December 1994|title=On the big screen, color it a satisfying time|newspaper=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]|edition=1, 2|page=E=8}}</ref>
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– [[Matt Zoller Seitz]], ''[[Dallas Observer]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Zoller Seitz|first=Matt|date=12 January 1995 |title= Personal best From a year full of startling and memorable movies, here are our favorites |newspaper=[[Dallas Observer]]}}</ref>
* Honorable mention&nbsp;– Howie Movshovitz, ''[[The Denver Post]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Movshovitz|first=Howie|date= 25 December 1994 |title=Memorable Movies of '94 Independents, fringes filled out a lean year|newspaper=[[The Denver Post]]|page=E-1|edition=Rockies}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Sadism and masochism in fiction]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/film.php?filmid=26565 ''Bitter Moon''] movie stills

{{Roman Polanski|state=autocollapse}}
{{Vangelis|state=autocollapse}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bitter Moon}}
[[Category:1992 films]]
[[Category:1992 black comedy films]]
[[Category:1992 independent films]]
[[Category:1992 thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s British films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s erotic thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s French films]]
[[Category:1990s French-language films]]
[[Category:1990s romantic thriller films]]
[[Category:BDSM in films]]
[[Category:British black comedy films]]
[[Category:British erotic thriller films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:British nonlinear narrative films]]
[[Category:British romantic thriller films]]
[[Category:Canal+ films]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:English-language black comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language erotic thriller films]]
[[Category:English-language French films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic thriller films]]
[[Category:Erotic romance films]]
[[Category:Films about adultery]]
[[Category:Films about female bisexuality]]
[[Category:Films about infidelity]]
[[Category:Films about marriage]]
[[Category:Films about people with paraplegia or tetraplegia]]
[[Category:Films about threesomes]]
[[Category:Films about uxoricide]]
[[Category:Films about writers]]
[[Category:Films based on French novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Roman Polanski]]
[[Category:Films produced by Alain Sarde]]
[[Category:Films produced by Roman Polanski]]
[[Category:Films scored by Vangelis]]
[[Category:Films set around New Year]]
[[Category:Films set in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Films set in Paris]]
[[Category:Films set on cruise ships]]
[[Category:Films shot in Hauts-de-Seine]]
[[Category:Films shot in Paris]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Gérard Brach]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Roman Polanski]]
[[Category:French black comedy films]]
[[Category:French erotic thriller films]]
[[Category:French independent films]]
[[Category:French nonlinear narrative films]]
[[Category:French romantic thriller films]]
[[Category:French-language British films]]
[[Category:French-language independent films]]
[[Category:French-language thriller films]]
[[Category:Films about murder–suicide]]
[[Category:Dominatrices in films]]