Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

lasttimeisaw A R.W. Fassbinder double-feature binge (Chinese ROULETTE 1976 and QUERELLE 1982, his swan song) coincides with a starting point for me to access his oeuvre, as one of the pioneer of modern German cinema, Fassbinder has a burning-too-fast career orbit, as if he was exerting all his energy in cranking out films before his dooming self-indulgent suicide at the age of 37 (with more than 40 works done in 15 years). Yet two films must have its restricted view, but Fassbinder films' mindset nevertheless more or less could be conjectured from them, and his stylish flourish is also mesmerizingly toxic. Both films could adopt themselves comfortably into a theatrical play not the least courtesy of their (mostly or exclusively) in-door locales, for Chinese ROULETTE, it has a secular tone, 90% of the film takes place inside a rural mansion, with familial secrets, connubial deceptions, mother-daughter hatred, the divide of social strata, vindictive self-destruction viciously unfold and infuse a deleterious corruption even to the onlookers, all is triggered by the innocuous eponymous game. While QUERELLE is projected on more ritualized dark amber light maroon background setting stimulating a claustrophobic oppression of lust and desire within a handful locations (the faux-deck of a ship ashore, the phallus worship Hotel Feria Bar, an underground tunnel for hideaway), a male-dominant sexual obsession mingled with blatant homosexual thrust to an astounding incestuous extremity, brilliantly done via an intuitive candor. Mirror is a recurrent item in both films, exposes the other-half which reflects the true id inside one's soul, in Chinese ROULETTE the stunning flux of the stationary tableaux interlacing two or three out of the eight characters orchestrates a scintillating picture of a guilt-and-punishment visual symphony with swishy panache; in QUERELLE, mirrors reduce their occurrence but the conscientiously measured compositions transpire an even more ostentatious narcissism with a sultry plume of hormone-excreting rugged contours of male bodies. QUERELLE is adapted from Jean Genet's novel "QUERELLE DE BREST", whose literature text also introduced through the soothing voice-over of an unknown narrator, the film does stage a sensible amount of poetic license to filter a vicarious compassion through a singular mortal's inscrutable behavioral symptoms; in Chinese ROULETTE, a prose (or poem) soliloquy of androgyny also contrives to reach the same effect (but sounds a trifle recondite when contextualizing it under the film's incumbent situation). Anyhow Fassbinder is a trailblazer in defying the mainstream's prejudices, and very capable of visualize and dissect the tumor of humanity. The cast, there are 8 characters in Chinese ROULETTE, with almost equal weight in the screen time, but it is the youngest one, Andrea Schober (under Fassbinder's guidance for sure), the crippled girl seeks for revenge to her parents' betrayal and negligence, teaches all of us a lesson (how selfish we are to find a scapegoat for every bit of repercussions happen to us) with such acute insight, fearless audacity and extreme measures. While big name (Anna Karina) and other Fassbinder's regulars (Margit Carstensen, Brigitte Mira, Ulli Lommel) all end up licking their own wounds in the corner. In QUERELLE, Brad Davis (a real-life AIDS fighter then) is valiant, his masculinity and sinewy physique defies all the stereotyped treatment of gay men in the media, injecting a raw and visceral complexity into Querelle's spontaneous promiscuity and sporadic anger. Hanno Pöschl may fall short to guarantee the vigorous duality required for his two roles, but the gut- bashing combats (or playing) between two brothers fabricate the most erotic intimacy has ever been presented on the screen. Two veterans, Franco Nero is either recording his secret affection in the cabinet or wandering near Querelle from oblique angles; the fading beauty Jeanne Moreau, hums "Each man kills the things he loves", and is lost in her own fantasy of the banquet she can savor. Personally I incline towards QUERELLE's unconventional approach to kill off the ambiguities of sexual orientation and examine the most primal desire made with blood and flesh, but Chinese ROULETTE achieves another form of success, it maintains a serene aplomb above all the vile assault and bitter turbulence, like the unspecified pistol shot at the coda, no matter who bites the dust, a bullet is never an ultimate solution to all the problems.

wes-connors This highly stylized and necessarily homoerotic adaptation of Jean Genet's "Querelle de Brest" goes limp, mostly whenever the annoying narrator interrupts. But is hard to dislike completely with Brad Davis (as Georges Querelle) leading the pack. You know he wants it. While he most certainly does not resemble his frequently mentioned as supposedly look-alike brother Davis, Hanno Pöschl (as Robert and Gil) is the second most valuable cast member, performing a "pas de deux" with Davis that unfortunately lacks a climax. No surprise to reveal the female member of the cast, 1950s beauty Jeanne Moreau (as Lysiane), appears wasted and washed-out compared to 1980s beauty Laurent Malet (as Roger Bataille) and the men. Franco Nero (as Lieutenant Seblon) tries to keep a straight face, looking at things from afar. Drug-overdosing before release, director Rainer Werner Fassbinder kept his distance.****** Querelle (8/31/82) Rainer Werner Fassbinder ~ Brad Davis, Hanno Poschl, Franco Nero, Jeanne Moreau

jaibo What an absolute peerless masterpiece this is. A glorious and sensual dream about subjectivity, objectification, image-making, masculinity and the disavowal from the male world of the abject female traits. But these traits cannot be disavowed, because all power needs fascination and fascination requires abjection.The film traces Querelle's journey from rigid singularity through an induction into a masculine world to an abject melting into the arms of the weakest of male figures. Seblon, excluded voyeur and viewer of Querelle's story is actually Querelle's final resting place - as we all finally rest before the images which dazzle us.An extremely ambiguous film, intricately bound within the image matrix it critiques - a weird and wonderful, fascinating world of mirrors, where all fall in love with their own idealised reflection & "each man kills the thing he loves." Certainly one of the most complex, provocative and seductive films of all time.

futurehaus 10 for Camp Sensibility. You normal folks may rate it closer to zero.Querelle is Super Camp. It puts John Waters' "Female Trouble" to shame. Not even a drag-dripping Almodovar flick can evoke such gaiety. This film is audacious in its "seriousness" and demands you do the opposite. Now, other users have called it Village People-ish, amateurish, High Schooly, etc. but those are understatements. This film is funnier with each viewing. I have most of it committed to memory because my roommate and I in college used to watch it over and over (alternating with Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Law of Desire). I truly love the recycled actors/costumes/sets, the Tea Room Queen On High voice overs, the summer stock saturation of set lighting. And that fat queen buzzing around Jean Moreau is worth hitting rewind for. It's just one big costume party, and you're invited. I think if Fassbinder had tried to make it funny he'd have come short of the laughs that are there now. And, frankly, which of us gays couldn't enjoy 90 minutes of hunky Brad Davis in his silly sailor getup…dialogue be damned? You must love this unintentional satire. You'll be quoting it's lame lines for life."Each man kills the thing he loves…da de dum, da da de dum…" (Did Madame forget the lyrics again? I heard that happened to Peggy Lee in her linebacker years."I look like her." (Little Gay Roger coming onto Gil, who likes Roger's sister) "Is there anybody else who wants to...me? PLEASE!" "When Madame Lysiane found herself before Querelle, her gaze went to his fly in spite of herself." (It goes down from there) "You? You're just a woman." (Followed much later by, "Look at him! Big Nono, the best stallion that ever existed!") The jilted Lysiane huffs, "You mah ememy!" PLEASE watch this film expecting nothing...and you will gain everything. "Da De Dumb, Da Da De Dumb."