The film Two People Exchanging Saliva, directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandra Sigh, is already making waves on the global stage. Competing for the César Awards on February 26 and the Oscars on March 15, this short film has accumulated nearly twenty international awards. Highlights include the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Fest, the Audience Award at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival, and the Golden Gate Award in San Francisco.
These accolades accentuate the film’s depth, laden with cultural references that help create a vivid dystopian setting. Adding to its credibility, iconic actresses Isabelle Huppert and Julianne Moore are attached as executive producers.
A vital piece of the thriving contemporary LGBT cinema movement, the film interrogates themes of desire, societal norms, and political authority.
An Authoritarian Society Where Desire Is Forbidden
In this bleak world, mere acts of intimacy like exchanging saliva are deemed criminal. The protagonists, Malaise and Angine — portrayed by Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Luàna Bajrami — discover each other in this oppressive society and wrestle with their mutual attraction.
Their paths cross in Galeries Lafayette, where Malaise is a saleswoman and Angine shops, disrupting their monotonous lives. In this strange universe, currency involves slaps, making each transaction feel like a BDSM ritual fraught with hidden emotional turmoil.
Filmed in black and white, the movie sharply illustrates how desire outlasts an economically and morally suppressive regime overseeing personal intimacy. Gestures that hint at non-conformity—like buying toothpaste, accidental touches, or lingering looks—ignite instant suspicion, triggering reactions from nosey neighbors, vigilant coworkers, and public apprehensions.
This cinematic approach mirrors discussions in our article on LGBT representation in cinema and media, demonstrating how visual storytelling is wielded as a form of political expression.
Intense Dramatic Tension Accented by Literary Allusions
The tension heightens as Angine, portrayed as a delicate yet seemingly impeccable bourgeois, alternately pursues and avoids the saleswoman consuming her thoughts. To sidestep Malaise’s intrusively curious colleague, she feigns a phone call.
Her opening line, “Hello Sorrow,” is a direct nod to Françoise Sagan’s novel Bonjour tristesse, which courted controversy in 1954 for depicting extramarital affairs. Much like the book, the film delves into the clash between adherence to societal norms and personal freedom, intimacy, and spontaneity.
A Chilling Atmosphere Enhances the Narrative
The filmmakers don’t merely depict frustrated desire; they conjure a setting that physically manifests oppression. From imposing department stores to Angine’s stark, unwelcoming apartment, every location intimates a world devoid of privacy and perpetually under scrutiny.
This austere aesthetic emphasizes the notion of a society that suspects tenderness, transforming love into an act of rebellion.
Sustained Suspense Leading to a Climactic Moment
During its 35-minute runtime, the film sustains suspense with an unwavering question: will these women risk everything for love?
The omnipresent danger serves as a stark reminder that homosexuality remains a capital offense in several nations. Thus, the film turns a forbidden romance into a profound meditation on oversight, societal norms, and the enduring nature of desire.
Available on Canal+, Two People Exchanging Saliva illustrates that modern queer cinema continues to captivate, challenge, and resonate—transforming a simple intimate act into a revolutionary statement.
