Damage MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +1 Content: -3

Dr. Stephen Fleming (Jeremy Irons) is a British government minister with a successful career, wife and family. He meets Anna Barton (Juliette Binoche) at a party. She introduces herself and later calls him at work. Stephen meets her and they soon have sex in her apartment without bothering to take off their clothes. This sets the tone for most of their encounters; little talk, just unbridled passionate sex. After the first encounter, Stephen learns Anna is his son Martyn's (Rupert Graves) fiancee. Although he recognizes it's wrong, he keeps seeing Anna. He even follows Martyn and Anna to Paris where she leaves Martyn in bed so she can rendezvous with Stephen. Anna talks about her brother's suicide, and an incestuous relationship with him is implied. Anna's mother (Leslie Caron) remarks how much Martyn looks like Anna's brother. When Martyn comes upon Anna having sex with Stephen in her apartment, he stumbles over a stair balcony railing and falls to his death. The main characters in DAMAGE seem to have no motivation but sexual desire, and do not involve the viewer. With sex scenes that lack emotional involvement, the film is a depressing story of family betrayal.

While there is little to recommend in this story of adultery, sexual obsession, and betrayal, it does effectively demonstrate the consequences of sin. Stephen's sexual desire for Anna leads to the death of his son, the destruction of his family and he ends up alone in a Mediterranean village staring at a life-size picture of Anna and Martyn. He reflects that in the end, she was no different from anyone else. There are five scenes of sexual intercourse between Stephen and Anna. None of them show tenderness or love and two show breast and rear nudity. They represent sex at an animalistic level in bedrooms, in a doorway and on a desk. Stephen wants to do the right thing and considers leaving his wife for Anna. Later, he considers letting go of Anna for Martyn's sake, but Anna talks him out of it. The language is relatively free of obscenities and profanity which normally occurs in this type of film. However, Anna uses the f-word four times in the story of her brother's suicide. Needless to say, we recommend that moviegoers avoid this pornographic film.

Preview Reviewer: Paul R. Bicking
Distributor: New Line Cinema, 575 8th Ave., 16th Floor, NY, NY 10018