Mauvais Sang

"Love that burns fast but lasts forever."

1986 1h 59m FR

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 295

DramaRomanceCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two aging crooks are given two weeks to repay a debt to a woman named The American. They recruit their recently deceased partner's son to help them break into a laboratory and steal the vaccine against STBO, a sexually transmitted disease that is sweeping the country. It's spread by having sex without emotional involvement, and most of its victims are teenagers who make love out of curiosity rather than commitment.

“Love that burns fast but lasts forever.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Juliette Binoche
Anna
Denis Lavant
Alex
Michel Piccoli
Marc
Hans Meyer
Hans
Julie Delpy
Lise
Carroll Brooks
The American
Hugo Pratt
Boris
Mireille Perrier
Young Mother

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Leos Carax
Writers: Leos Carax
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Leos Carax, shot by Jean-Yves Escoffier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nelly Quettier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant and Michel Piccoli carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Love that burns fast but lasts forever.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0091497 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Leos Carax directs. Jean-Yves Escoffier behind the camera. Nelly Quettier cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

140 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Leos Carax, shot by Jean-Yves Escoffier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Nelly Quettier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant and Michel Piccoli carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "Love that burns fast but lasts forever.".
6IMDB entry: tt0091497 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 8 themes, including "unrequited love", "art house", "debt", "older man younger woman relationship".
8Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jean-Yves Escoffier
Editing: Nelly Quettier
Production design: Michel Vandestien
Costume design: Robert Nardone
Makeup / hair: Chantal Durpoix
Sound: Harrik Maury
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Mauvais Sang (1986)

Awards

Louis Delluc Prize

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Leos Carax

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Walruse2018-01-07
★ 8/10
Mauvais Sang is at core a crime movie, but the crime serves only as a skeleton. The flesh is the passion of unrequited love and the cerebral processing of the same. Lise loves Alex who loves Anna that loves Mark. Mark, on the other hand, is afraid of The American Woman who was once lovers with Alex father and who will kill him unless he pays the debts of himself and his companions within two weeks. In the nerve system is the libido at hold as a strange virus affects untruthful lovers, which is also the device that cuts through the entire body of the movie. Finally on the skin is an abnormal heat wave caused by the vicinity of Haley's Comet. It is a full bodied movie, and as French as it is, the performance uses full body language as well. While there are a few exaggerated moments that may not appeal to all audiences, there are others that make well up for them.
griggs792025-03-26
★ 7/10
Mauvais Sang made me feel cooler just for watching it—like I’d chain-smoked a Gauloises in a neon-lit alley while reciting poetry to nobody in particular. It’s moody, stylish, and occasionally baffling, but there’s real heart pulsing beneath all that noir-drenched angst. I loved Juliette Binoche smouldering on screen, and Julie Delpy has that effortlessly aloof charm that just works. And Dennis Lavant—my god, the man dances. That scene? Electric. I honestly think it should be a law: Lavant must dance in every film. Not just the ones he’s in—every film. The plot wobbles here and there, but the vibes? Impeccable.