This is a capsule review. A full review will be posted when the film hits theatres.

A provocateur yes, but Gaspar Noé more than anything is overt. His latest offering, a self-serving, self-congratulatory piece of pretension dressed up as an exploration of passionate romance does but one thing well, and does it frequently.

Love 3D starts with a five minute sex scene, the camera holding steady on a nude couple tending to each other with their hands. It in itself is a disclaimer: this film is unapologetically sexually explicit and authentic, and if the opening segment makes you unsettled, then it’s best not to continue.

One half of this couple is Murphy, an American film student living in France who is a stand-in for Noé, talking about his desire to showcase real love on screen, because all the other movies don’t accurately depict it. He also wants to name his child Gaspar.