Les Revenants - Extreme Negotiations

• the final montage of Les Revenants episode one represents the sexual act as a deeply complex one with potentially grave consequences
• this highly confrontational and even problematic sequence encourages a range of highly polysemic audience interpretations
• seen from a Christian viewpoint, the sequence could be seen to reinforce the ideology that ore-marital sex is wrong and is punished
• however, the punishment is highly irregular and involves Camille dying instead, affecting the family
• is this a biblical allegory?
• this scene reinforces that sex is important to Lena's character and establishes one of her primary motivations
• this sex positive representation is somewhat unusual, especially in the horror genre and may appeal to feminist audiences, as Lena has her own autonomy
• the use of close up shots and the lack of non-diegetic sound positions the audience directly above them and in a voyeuristic mode of address
• this deliberately uncomfortable montage emphasises the unease being felt by Camille, and further potentially upsets the target audiences, yet also positions them as a teenage girl having sex for the first time
• anchored through the casting of the same actor for both roles, the scene confirms the loss of virginity can be traumatic
• this bizarre mode of address can target intellectual and educated audiences
• simultaneously, younger audiences, in particular teenage girls will identify with the scene with Lena losing her virginity