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Ménage

Name: Ménage
Director: Bertrand Blier
Released: 1986
Duration: 84 min

Representation Score

5.4/10

Fair

1986

Director

Bertrand Blier

Runtime

84 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Ménage is a thought-provoking exploration of social norms that effectively challenges traditional relationship structures. By featuring a bisexual protagonist, the film successfully questions the stability of the nuclear family and conventional monogamy. However, the film's impact is constrained by a lack of ethnic diversity. Its narrative remains firmly set in a homogeneous European context, offering limited representation outside of a white, urban demographic. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its intellectual defiance of societal norms. It shifts from traditional morality to a landscape of personal desire and shifting interpersonal dynamics.

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Category Breakdown

Does Ménage have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

Bob, the protagonist, is openly bisexual and his identity helps create a non-traditional relationship that challenges traditional expectations and the idea of strict monogamy.

How does Ménage portray gender?

Good

The film breaks down traditional male dominance by showing the breakdown of a husband's control over his home. Fluid power dynamics emerge from shared criminal activities and sexual involvement.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Ménage?

Limited

The film focuses mainly on a white, urban European setting with no apparent ethnic diversity among the main characters or supporting cast.

How does Ménage represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The story presents infidelity and crime as means of liberation, viewing marriage and domestic life as confining structures that characters must overcome to gain independence.

Does Ménage include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not focus on visible or invisible disabilities. Characters are defined by their sexual and social independence rather than physical or neurological differences.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional heterosexual norms through a bisexual character
Effectively dismantles traditional patriarchal control and marital norms
Explores moral ambiguity and personal freedom

Limited or Absent

Lack of racial and ethnic diversity in casting
Limited cultural breadth due to homogeneous demographic focus

Official Synopsis

A bisexual petty criminal named Bob encounters a married couple arguing in a bar. Bob breaks up the fight and proceeds to seduce first the wife and then the husband. Then Bob teaches the couple how to be burglars and they join him in his criminal exploits.

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