Perhaps it isn’t reasonable, when a movie begins with a sex scene that records every shift in position and almost every part of the actors’ anatomy, to demand that the post-nooky conversation be as enticing. “Nuit #1,” the debut feature from Canadian director Anne Émond, nevertheless insists that the post-hookup postmortem is when things get real.
Clara (Catherine de Léan) and Nikolai (Dimitri Storoge) meet at a rave and scurry home to have ravenous sex in various parts of Nikolai’s apartment. He falls asleep and she investigates his home a bit, then tries to leave. He pursues her, and the talking begins. And continues, despite other aborted exits that make the similar contrivances of the one-set “Carnage” look effortless by comparison.
And what do they have to unburden themselves about? Nikolai floats aimlessly between jobs, picking up mighty works of literature only to toss them aside when he loses interest. Clara teaches third grade by day, and by night indulges in debauchery that she describes in minute detail.
None of these musings ever equals the tenderness and truth of one scene in which the couple bathes each other in the shower. Despite the allure of the actors and some witty lines, it’s ultimately quite wearying to be confronted with such determination to turn youth and good looks into existential burdens.