Monte Carlo. Maxime receives a business award. He toasts Elise and Julien, calling them “the two people I trust most.” That night, Maxime and Elise have passionate, but emotionally distant sex—he performs, she fakes.
The plot serves as a connective tissue between set pieces, but it is surprisingly cohesive. It explores the idea that betrayal, when stripped of its moral weight, can become an aphrodisiac—a concept that aligns with the studio’s long-standing exploration of libertinism. betrayal [marc dorcel 2021]