Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- sensual
- melancholic
- volatile
- arthouse film night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a visually beautiful and unusually complicated erotic period romance anchored by strong performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ryno's impending marriage and his grandmother's interrogation place erotic conflict inside titled society and its rules.
Vellini's decade-long affair with Ryno is rendered as passionate, volatile, and entangled with disgust and self-loathing.
Ryno recounts his history with Vellini to the bride's grandmother, and that testimony opens into dramatized flashbacks.
The film emphasizes beautiful costumes, aristocratic interiors, and the newlyweds' castle by the sea.
Films like The Last Mistress, and why
The Piano Teacher
erotic period romance centered on destructive passion, social constraint, and morally conflicted lovers
The Handmaiden
stylized historical romance exploring obsession, repression, and female sexual agency
Dangerous Liaisons
lavish period drama about illicit desire, reputation, and impossible romantic choices
Lady Chatterley's Lover
passionate literary romance with ornate costumes and psychologically intense relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Catherine Breillat
- Release Date
- 2007-05-30
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (76)
Cast
- Asia Argento
- Fu'ad Aït Aattou
- Roxane Mesquida
- Claude Sarraute
- Yolande Moreau
- Michael Lonsdale
- Anne Parillaud
- Amira Casar
- Lio
- Caroline Ducey
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Last Mistress about?
- A sumptuous, psychologically feral period romance in which a young aristocrat’s attempt to escape a decade-long affair collides with the persistence of desire.
- What is The Last Mistress like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Last Mistress as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Last Mistress violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Last Mistress.
- What did critics think of The Last Mistress?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a visually beautiful and unusually complicated erotic period romance anchored by strong performances.
- Which films are like The Last Mistress?
- Films with a similar feel include The Piano Teacher, The Handmaiden, Dangerous Liaisons, and Lady Chatterley's Lover.
- How long is The Last Mistress?
- The Last Mistress runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Last Mistress?
- In United States, The Last Mistress streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+.
