Max Mon Amour

REVIEW
The attention-grabbing premise of this film -- that a sophisticated Parisian woman falls in love with a chimpanzee -- should generate some interest in this unusual satire from Oshima. Margaret (Rampling) and English diplomat Peter (Higgens) are an unhappy couple opulently living in Paris. Their marriage is strained when the husband discovers that his wife is having an affair not with another man, but with a chimpanzee. Even with its premise, the film disappoints; for after Max is introduced, there is nothing more to shock, and every time the story approaches a surreal level, it steps back, embracing conventionality. (In English and French with English subtitles)