MUBI

Un chant d’amour (Jean Genet, 1950) is arguably one of the most titillating and sexually charged films that I have seen for the past few years. This basically tells the story of two prisoners longing for human contact as they are isolated in their own cells and they invent a unusual (and quite arousing) way of communication. All the while, the prison guard watches them with voyeuristic aplomb. Although focused on the situation of two lonely prisoners and one prison guard, this film touches the universality of human contact. Completely silent (but with a brilliant soundtrack), Genet does not use dialogue in here but instead uses a variety of closeups (biceps, buttocks, backs, penises, armpits, etc.) to reinforce the central thesis of the film. One might even claim that this could have been a formative influence to Andy Warhol’s video output.