La Maison (2022)

[McCrutchy]

Capelight Pictures released Anissa Bonnefont's La Maison (2022) on 26 May 2023.

[McCrutchy]

BDInfo scan

Note: This disc is not English-friendly (though several key scenes are in English) and no English subtitles are provided.

The film is presented with a German dub or the original audio, which is French with large portions of English, as well as some German and incidental bits of Italian and Spanish.

The film's title card has been altered to German:

[Show spoiler]

At one point fairly early on in the film, there is a text graphic that is in German, with no subtitles even on the French track (In French, it could read

[Show spoiler]"SIX MOIS PLUS TARD"

, while in English, it could read

[Show spoiler]"SIX MONTHS LATER"

):

[Show spoiler]

The rest of the opening and end credits are in the original French, although a few seconds are tacked on to the end of the film for German dubbing credits.

German subtitles are optional, and there are also French subtitles on the disc for the non-French dialogue:

[Show spoiler]

although they are not listed on the package or in the menus. To activate them by default, you must select the original audio track and then opt to not turn on any German subtitles (i.e. do not select "DEUTSCH EINSCHALTEN") and start the film.

As noted above, there are no English subtitles. All subtitling is in the white font shown.

The only extra is a trailer for the film, however, there is a neat trick here as well. The trailer is in the menu under "KINOTRAILER", and when the film is set to play with its German dub, Capelight's German-dubbed trailer is played, but when the original language track has been selected, the trailer that plays from "KINOTRAILER" is the French one. The imagery is the same, but text and graphics are different in both trailers.

Four trailers for other Capelight titles, two of which also play at the disc's startup, round out the disc.

                                                                                                                Total   Video                                             
Title                                                           Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                          Secondary Audio Track
-----                                                           ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                        ---------------------
01101.MPLS                                                      AVC     1:29:39 28,537,454,592  30,348,865,133  42.44   33.15   DTS-HD Master 5.1 3474Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     La Maison
Disc Label:     La Maison
Disc Size:      30,348,865,133 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BDInfo:         0.7.5.6

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   01101.MPLS
Length:                 1:29:39.625 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   28,537,454,592 bytes
Total Bitrate:          42.44 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        33150 kbps          1080p / 24 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
DTS-HD Master Audio             German          3474 kbps       5.1 / 48 kHz /  3474 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz /  1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio             French          3469 kbps       5.1 / 48 kHz /  3469 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz /  1509 kbps / 24-bit)

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
Presentation Graphics           German          0.082 kbps                      
Presentation Graphics           German          34.752 kbps                     
Presentation Graphics           French          10.504 kbps                     

FILES:

Name            Time In         Length          Size            Total Bitrate   
----            -------         ------          ----            -------------   
00004.M2TS      0:00:00.000     1:29:39.625     28,537,454,592  42,438          

CHAPTERS:

Number          Time In         Length          Avg Video Rate  Max 1-Sec Rate  Max 1-Sec Time  Max 5-Sec Rate  Max 5-Sec Time  Max 10Sec Rate  Max 10Sec Time  Avg Frame Size  Max Frame Size  Max Frame Time  
------          -------         ------          --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  
1               0:00:00.000     0:04:55.708     31,363 kbps     49,108 kbps     00:00:27.916    37,810 kbps     00:03:53.458    36,406 kbps     00:03:50.416    163,327 bytes   519,176 bytes   00:00:01.000    
2               0:04:55.708     0:05:46.583     34,489 kbps     43,083 kbps     00:08:38.250    37,540 kbps     00:08:37.291    36,091 kbps     00:09:23.708    179,629 bytes   563,974 bytes   00:10:22.958    
3               0:10:42.291     0:06:36.250     34,852 kbps     45,220 kbps     00:11:41.333    37,609 kbps     00:11:50.916    36,779 kbps     00:11:32.583    181,521 bytes   505,012 bytes   00:17:18.333    
4               0:17:18.541     0:05:04.750     34,952 kbps     41,954 kbps     00:19:30.333    36,805 kbps     00:21:38.333    35,853 kbps     00:19:30.333    182,042 bytes   510,618 bytes   00:20:55.625    
5               0:22:23.291     0:03:25.041     34,873 kbps     46,008 kbps     00:25:25.791    37,583 kbps     00:25:24.750    36,246 kbps     00:23:30.625    181,629 bytes   677,655 bytes   00:25:35.791    
6               0:25:48.333     0:03:40.083     34,745 kbps     44,770 kbps     00:26:57.458    37,721 kbps     00:27:17.458    36,241 kbps     00:28:02.083    180,966 bytes   523,886 bytes   00:28:26.041    
7               0:29:28.416     0:06:06.916     34,885 kbps     42,194 kbps     00:33:26.333    37,785 kbps     00:34:32.625    36,327 kbps     00:33:44.166    181,694 bytes   571,457 bytes   00:31:41.750    
8               0:35:35.333     0:05:07.166     34,960 kbps     43,470 kbps     00:37:24.833    37,804 kbps     00:39:19.458    36,193 kbps     00:40:07.208    182,085 bytes   484,104 bytes   00:35:49.750    
9               0:40:42.500     0:08:51.125     34,965 kbps     45,712 kbps     00:45:06.416    37,471 kbps     00:45:06.375    36,380 kbps     00:43:14.625    182,107 bytes   522,474 bytes   00:44:22.583    
10              0:49:33.625     0:05:49.625     34,910 kbps     43,868 kbps     00:50:31.208    37,281 kbps     00:49:35.416    36,239 kbps     00:49:35.541    181,822 bytes   853,578 bytes   00:54:07.250    
11              0:55:23.250     0:05:58.333     34,986 kbps     43,568 kbps     00:57:35.166    37,840 kbps     00:56:36.166    36,061 kbps     01:01:01.416    182,217 bytes   624,446 bytes   00:56:36.208    
12              1:01:21.583     0:06:28.958     35,003 kbps     43,975 kbps     01:07:33.166    37,036 kbps     01:06:45.458    36,349 kbps     01:07:32.208    182,309 bytes   495,737 bytes   01:07:26.583    
13              1:07:50.541     0:05:09.000     34,988 kbps     45,245 kbps     01:12:15.791    36,739 kbps     01:12:15.458    35,916 kbps     01:09:27.166    182,231 bytes   672,794 bytes   01:12:57.375    
14              1:12:59.541     0:04:00.833     35,001 kbps     43,943 kbps     01:15:36.750    36,626 kbps     01:15:54.500    35,856 kbps     01:15:50.708    182,296 bytes   522,779 bytes   01:17:00.375    
15              1:17:00.375     0:07:32.625     34,889 kbps     46,914 kbps     01:22:29.041    37,603 kbps     01:18:52.541    36,398 kbps     01:18:38.625    181,712 bytes   558,595 bytes   01:22:29.083    
16              1:24:33.000     0:05:06.625     7,662 kbps      19,613 kbps     01:28:23.333    18,334 kbps     01:28:20.416    16,652 kbps     01:28:18.458    39,912 bytes    238,296 bytes   01:28:23.416    

STREAM DIAGNOSTICS:

File            PID             Type            Codec           Language                Seconds                 Bitrate                 Bytes           Packets         
----            ---             ----            -----           --------                --------------          --------------          -------------   -----           
00004.M2TS      4113 (0x1011)   0x1B            AVC                                     5379.500                33,151                  22,291,748,126  121,226,348     
00004.M2TS      4352 (0x1100)   0x86            DTS-HD MA       deu (German)            5379.500                3,474                   2,335,885,952   13,533,786      
00004.M2TS      4353 (0x1101)   0x86            DTS-HD MA       fra (French)            5379.500                3,469                   2,332,726,592   13,516,415      
00004.M2TS      4608 (0x1200)   0x90            PGS             deu (German)            5379.500                0                       54,820          312             
00004.M2TS      4609 (0x1201)   0x90            PGS             deu (German)            5379.500                35                      23,368,773      134,844         
00004.M2TS      4610 (0x1202)   0x90            PGS             fra (French)            5379.500                11                      7,063,355       41,548

Kinotrailer (German trailer plays by default or when German dubbed audio is selected from menu)

QUICK SUMMARY:

Disc Title: La Maison
Disc Label: La Maison
Disc Size: 30,348,865,133 bytes
Protection: AACS
Playlist: 01151.MPLS
Size: 179,570,688 bytes
Length: 0:01:10.458
Total Bitrate: 20.39 Mbps
Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 14938 kbps / 1080p / 24 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: German / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz /  4303 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz /  1509 kbps / 24-bit)

Kinotrailer (French trailer plays when original audio is selected from menu)

QUICK SUMMARY:

Disc Title: La Maison
Disc Label: La Maison
Disc Size: 30,348,865,133 bytes
Protection: AACS
Playlist: 01152.MPLS
Size: 178,483,200 bytes
Length: 0:01:10.458
Total Bitrate: 20.27 Mbps
Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 14939 kbps / 1080p / 24 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: French / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz /  4182 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz /  1509 kbps / 24-bit)

[McCrutchy]

I liked this film a lot. Much rests on the shoulders of Ana Girardot, who gives a wonderful performance and anchors the film. I'm less sure about the writing, because Bonnefont seems more interested in showing the daily working life of a Berlin prostitute than in taking a stance on the issue of prostitution itself, and the plot device of making Giradot's character, Emma, a novelist seeking to write about prostitutes doesn't get as much attention as I expected it would. One thing is clear however, Bonnefont feels that the women themselves are underappreciated and that they should be allowed to choose this work without being ostracized. This is a short film that perhaps could have done with a bit more of a narrative, but it is also broadly sex-positive and doesn't demonize prostitutes or their clientele, which I found refreshing. In fact, there are a range of scenes in the brothels, from a couple of scenes that do descend to sexual violence to a scene where a middle-aged man visits to try to learn how to become a better lover to his girlfriend. There are frequent scenes of strong sex and nudity (including male and female genitalia and fairly explicit masturbation), particularly from Giradot, who is also tasked with acting various sex scenes while nude, in addition to performing in both her native French and English, the latter of which she speaks fluently. Bonnefont has a great eye for capturing the bodies of both men and women and it struck me that all of the many women in the film, whether nude, in lingerie, or simply dressed normally, look incredibly beautiful.

So overall, a film with a wonderful lead performance and an interesting perspective on a controversial subject.

[bilbofett]

there's a 4k HDR version of this for rent on iTunes