La petite Lili (2003)

The French take their culture seriously. Even their farcical send-ups of the filmmaking community are based in classical literature. On the surface, La Petite Lili (2003) may appear to be a visually engrossing observation of sexual obsessions trumping the creative urges within a group of artistic collaborators who have assembled for a country weekend in a Brittany vacation home. Surely the nude and naturally nubile Ludivine Sagnier is a divinely inspiring sight to the assembled film folk. Limber Ludivine’s sublime limbs, once seen, invade the dreams and motivations of guests and audience alike. The lovely serial seductress’s attraction is doubly profound because her dramatis personae, and all the drama and romance of La Petite Lili, is based upon characterizations culled from the Anton Chekov play The Seagull.