BITTER MOON

BITTER MOON is an empty expose of a staid British couple’s encounter with a libertine American and his licentious wife. Set upon a cruise ship, this overly written, confused piece of voyeurism sails into the dirty waters of sexual perversion and its destructive consequences. Nigel and Fiona are on a cruise to Bombay. They meet Mimi and Oscar. Oscar, a failed writer, confined to a wheelchair, and Mimi, a wounded princess, peak Nigel’s interest. Oscar warns Nigel about flirting with his wife. Oscar then tells how he met Mimi, detailing their sexual intimacies. After Nigel hears the story, his desire for Mimi grows into unquenchable passion. Nigel tries to kiss Mimi, and she refuses. Then, Fiona dances seductively with Mimi. The two women leave for Mimi’s cabin. When Nigel rushes to Mimi’s room, he finds his wife in bed with the seductress. Next, Oscar shoots Mimi, then commits suicide. At the end, Nigel and Fiona hold each other, wrapped in utter confusion.

A more twisted view of love, sex and marital relationships would be hard to find. Aside from its base perversion, BITTER MOON suffers from overwritten, sometimes laughable, dialogue and a stiff mechanical performance by Peter Coyote. Its view of marriage and human relationships is morally bankrupt. One should neither waste one’s money, time nor moral sensibility on this empty work