Diary of a Nymphomaniac (2008) User Reviews

Sex, Marriage and Prostitution

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 2 February 2010]

In Barcelona, the Spanish Valére (Belén Fabra) is very attached to her French grandmother Marie Tasso (Geraldine Chaplin) and likes to stay with her. While discussing sex with Val, Marie advises her that it would be important to jot her life experience and Val decides to write a diary. Val recalls her promiscuous love life and her lovers since her first sexual experience when she was fifteen year-old. When Val loses her job in a downsizing, she is simultaneously informed that Marie had had a heart attack and she visits her granny that sooner dies. Val seeks a job position and when she is interviewed by the executive Jaime (Leonardo Sbaraglia), she falls in love for the first time with Jaime that is not good in bed and does not give pleasure to Val. They move together to a magnificent apartment and Val believes she has found the man of her life. Val gets a job with the gay Italian Harry (Xavi Corominas) in a fashion house but Jaime becomes jealous and changes his behavior. Val decides to leave Jaime when she gets pregnant and he does not recognize the baby as of his own. When Val recovers from the abortion, she decides to work as a prostitute in a high-class brothel to satisfy her sex drive; but after a period, she realizes that she had not found any difference between marriage and prostitution.

"Diario de una Ninfómana" is an erotic tale about sex, marriage and prostitution seen under the view of a young promiscuous woman that loves sex and has difficulties to satisfy her desire. The film works mostly because of the sexy and bold actress Belén Fabra that breathes sensuality. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Diário Proibido" ("Forbidden Diary")

Valere Finds The Cosmos.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 20 January 2011]

This really belongs on the Lifetime Movie Network or someplace. Belen Fabra is the 27-year-old Valere whose only real friend is her withered grandmother, Geraldine Chaplin. At fifteen Valere has sex for the first time. She feels there's something going on but it leaves her empty. Curiosity leads her into the byways of sex. She falls in love with Jaime finally, who seems to adore her. Coincidentally, if you're finally going to love a man for the first time in your life and you're now in your twenties and want to settle down and have children and build a home (whatever that means), Jaime is your kind of guy. He's filthy rich. He drives a Jaguar.

But it wasn't long after Valere yielded her virginity and began writing in her diary about how she really need love, that I could see where the movie was headed. After fruitlessly banging dozens of guys of varying temperaments and races and quirks, she finds Jaime and everything seems to be going along swimmingly. The future is bright.

But we experienced movie viewers know that in a movie like this, tragedy is just around the corner. Alright, Jaime has a slight problem with premature ejaculation -- if two minutes is "premature" -- but he showers her with flowers and diamonds, and he moves her into an expensive new flat overlooking Barcelona and the Med beyond.

Jaime is too perfect. So what's wrong with Jaime? He's not gay (although he may be bisexual for all we know). Is he a drug dealer? A mob member? Does he have a history of fraud? There has to be SOMETHING wrong with Jaime because that's the kind of movie this is! I won't reveal Jaime's secret.

Anyway, Valere's search for the cosmos takes her into a high-end brothel where she meets yet more flawed men. Finally, after reviewing the serial tragedies of her life, she comes to the realization that true happiness lies in self acceptance. In Valere's case, this means living for the moment with sex as your most immediate and available instrument. The fact that this is where she started lies unaddressed. She marches off bravely into the rain, a big smile on her face, triumphant music swelling in the background.

As an erotic movie, and choosing comparisons with almost identical plots, this falls somewhere between "Emmanuel" (which was funny) and "Bel de Jour" (which was pornography with class). Lots of nudity, none of it vulgar, and lots of simulated sex, ditto.

It's all about a woman's search for self actualization through the achievement of perfect orgasms, physical and spiritual. My, how things have changed. Why, when I was a young feller, sparking a gal, I was the one doing the pursuing. Why, I remember having to walk one hundred and fifty miles each way through the snow to visit a gal -- barefoot! We young lads was always met at the door by the gal's father, who wanted to know, right off the bat, if our intentions towards his daughter was honorable. I got so tired of saying, "Yes, sir," that once, feeling real cheeky, I said, "Absolutely not." That's how I got this scar. No, no. The one down here by the Krause end bulbs.

Overall, what the movie has is an abundance of Belen Fabra's not easily dismissible and nicely assembled nude figure. Other than that, it's a pretty tiresome bore. When Valere is making love with Jaime, she kept checking the clock to see how much longer the act would take. I found myself doing the same thing. I believe I know how Valere's physical being ends. Drawing on the logic of the plot, she finally achieves the most exquisite possible orgasm and, having nothing left to search for, she deliquesces, turns into a vapor, and vanishes into the ether.

Well-acted, attractive film but it's nothing more than an homage to Gregory Dark.

[BlackJack_B · 5/10 · 8 November 2010]

Diary Of A Sex Addict is a nice looking film and it's well-acted. I think they were serious in making a sexually-charged drama and not some sexploitation film.

My big problem with this film is that everything you'll see, you've seen before if you have watched all of Alexander Gregory Hippolyte's films from the early 1990's. Sex addict who keeps a diary? Check. Hunky mystery man who turns out to be a jealous maniac who wants Valere to himself? Check. Cigarette smoking? Check. A brothel? Check. Tons and tons 'o nudity? Check.

It is a well-done film with good acting but take that all away and you're left with the same dated film that Gregory Dark was making back in the early 90's for the MFV market. I really don't see anything special or groundbreaking in this one. However, it is nice to see somebody without augmentations like Belen Fabra here.

A woman learns about herself through various adventures and memories.

[billcurry-1 · 9 August 2011]

This movie is for adults. That being said, it's about as far from pornography as one can get. There are sex scenes, but these are intertwined with the emotions of the characters, particularly Val, the protagonist. The scenes range from the subdued to the violent and one would have to be sick be aroused by them. It's too bad the film probably won't be distributed in the U.S. because of the MPAA's allergy to nudity. Anyway, the story is fairly unique, something of a modern bildungsroman in which a woman sets out to find herself. And, through a number a picaresque episodes, she either does or doesn't (note: no spoiler here). The movie is simply unique. That's why I'm giving it a fairly high rating. Just one warning: keep it away from kids and adults who feel that nudity and sex should be swept under the rug regardless of their necessity for the emotional impact of the story. One last thing: I was impressed by the acting.

Nice one

[slavkogligor · 6/10 · 8 July 2021]

Great film about women sexuality. Many of them have this urges, and spend their lives unsatisfied because of social programming.

Live your life, enjoy every bit of it.

Alireza.Akhlaghi.Official

[alireza-akhlaghi84 · 6/10 · 17 December 2018]

Basically attention for these kinds of themes, as the film's name implies, in the default mode, directs the human mind to issues outside of the commonplace of cinema outside the frameworks. But when it comes to seeing the film, it goes back a bit. In the movie, you experience a new chapter in the synpathy while watching the film, regardless of the gender issue, which means the perception of a person who is not like us and experiences another kind of world. Perhaps if we can extend this issue and deal with it in a larger circle, and this is the biggest issue in our small world, mutual understanding. The film deals with personal life that maybe like many of us humans and maybe not. Of course, addressing such a problem may seem, deceptive, and in the direction of the box, but with the average score taken from the audience in imdb, it can not be considered parallel to this issue. Valerie's unique experience in the face of a new situation, his marriage to Jaime, is well illustrated by the pessimist and skepticism that leads to disaster, and Valeria, with psychic tact, rushing hard days in a "cinematic" It's the magic of cinema. Of course, the film has a serious drawback, as it concludes at the end of the phase with that it closes the film in a certain characteristic of time, which means that its filmmaker's lack of initiative at the last stage . In general, you can get a good score on the film simply because of the type of subject selection and the start and duration of the movie.

Another "all men are horrible" movie

[KrisNestor · 1/10 · 31 August 2021]

This movie just shows how women constantly choose the wrong men to be in a relationship with, ignore the good guys and then just blame men for their poor choices.

erotica without much tension

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 30 September 2015]

Valére is very close to her grandmother Marie Tasso (Geraldine Chaplin). She struggles to find love ever since losing her virginity at 15. She writes all of her sexual experiences in a diary. She falls for Jaime but when she tells him about her pregnancy, he becomes unstable and rejects her. She is short of money and takes a job as a high class prostitute.

This is an art house erotic movie but I don't get a sense of tension. She's basically a single woman looking for love. Then she takes the prostitution job for the cash. The character is missing the desperate sexual needs that the title suggests. It needs to heighten the danger. It's artsy nudity without much tension.

not a total waste of time, if you want to get a laugh at Sbaraglia's acting!

[jorgemhz · 1/10 · 22 March 2010]

After watching Luna's "Yo puta" ("I, Whore") some years ago, "Diario de una ninfómana" first attracted me from its title and I thought I would find a similar movie in some way, i.e. intimate sex confessions told in first person by a woman, with some air of indie movie and an average cast with some highlighted appearance (Daryl Hanna in Yo Puta, Geraldine Chaplin in this movie). Never could be so wrong! Despite the entertaining and well done strange storytelling in Yo Puta combining fiction and documentary, "Diario de una ninfómana" is just a plain story with a weak script and less than horrible acting. At the first 2 minutes you perceive the movie will not be good. As usual when a famous actor takes part in a bad movie, the star does not bright (look at Al Pacino's 88 minutes!). Geraldine Chaplin looks very weak here.

But the outstanding moments in the film (a film based on nude scenes to make some noise on the scene and get some nympho-intrigued people to the theaters) certainly are those of the astonishingly pathetic acting from Leo Sbaraglia. The Argentinian does it so bad that I will keep a copy of the movie just to show my friends the worst acting ever seen in the film industry. His dramatic part of a crazy bipolar husband will make you laugh a lot!

The elegance of raw sex realism...

[nasiacelebrity · 8/10 · 22 June 2009]

This movie is realistic, cruel, provocative and sexy but at the same time so very elegant and pure. Belen Fabra is a wonderful actress who is one hundred percent suitable for the role and she is the reason I liked this movie so much. She gives a magical sense to it. She makes you feel whatever she feels. The directing is unique and although the movie presents a lot of "raw material", for some reason,it is so delicate and sophisticated. It's not an other (soft) porn movie, it is a movie which conveys some of the greatest values in life and presents them in a way we have not been used to seeing. This is what makes it so special. I strongly recommend it to mature and open-minded audiences, with a hard stomach.

A tragic and sordid past of a nymph

[samuelding85 · 4/10 · 1 September 2009]

Diary of a Sex Addict is a tale of a nymph and her sordid past. To some, it is a soft core erotica, while to the rest it might just be an European art-house movie with sex as the selling point. Christian Molina has done a great job in churning the movie based on the best selling novel. However, sex is not everyone's addiction.

The story begins with Valere (Belen Fabra), a university graduate who holds a well paid job, indulges in sex. Confessing to her grandma on her sexual desire for any man she met, she learned a valuable lesson from her grandma on searching for the path she wants in her life. She met Jaime, a young manager, who showers her with money and apartment. As their relationship develops, Jaime turns out to be a man who sees Valere as a morally loose woman. Out of job and heavily in debt, she choose prostitution, where it not only gave her a source of income, but also satisfy her thirst for lust.

The 95min drama promises loads of steamy erotica, but it did not cover much on Valere's sordid past, and how she bravely faced her new future. The main focus is on Valere's various sexual encounter, and how sex lead to various changes in her love life, such as boyfriend unable to satisfy her constant demand and her sexual behavior. Issues on Valera's sexual life and needs can be easily understood, without much guessing needed, which one do not need to think much to watch Diary. However, it can be dull and draggy at some point. Diary can be easily compared with Lie With Me (2005), where it also depicts a young lady's sexual encounter with her lover.

One do not need to think too much to enjoy the show. The simple and easy direct point with various steamy sex scenes can be easily understood. The movie is a good choice to spice up a boring afternoon if one wants something that can arouse their senses.

An scent of a women movie

[zk5 · 8 June 2011]

I think this movie is a bit under rated, the most elaborate part is the music that is fabulous. Belen Fabra keeps her roll very intense that anyone can feel her passion on every intercourse involved. The scenario looks very nice giving a rich environment and very classy. Directing I think is above average and one thing that could not be left over is it's editing which I found it excellent. In all the history is very good because most women feels in that way at some time in their lives and this movie focus that internal feeling very well through the sensitivity of Belen Fabra. The male characters are acceptable in terms of intensity. Ill give a 6.2 rating

Too many holes in the story telling.

[movieliker1 · 5/10 · 29 August 2022]

It's acted well and filmed beautifully. It's a classy production. But I agree with another reviewer here, this belongs on Lifetime as a B movie.

Too many holes in the story telling.

• The first time she calls her bipolar husband a pathological liar, he hadn't lied in the movie yet.

• He threatens her, but no threat is ever shown on screen. So, she decides to threaten suicide?

• The last time we see her with her gay boss, he's telling her to take a vacation. Next thing we see and hear is she lost her job? And she has to turn to prostitution?

Too many holes in the story telling where the viewer has to think, "Well, maybe this? Maybe that? Maybe those things happened off screen?" Not good directing or editing.

(Some of these complaints are cliches that could be beneficial for younger viewers who haven't seen many movies about this topic.

• She makes a common mistake lots of young women make. Falls in love and marries a guy who showers her in money and romance too quickly before really getting to know him.

• She falls in love with her prostitution clients.)

No problem with the message of female impowerment and sexual freedom. But the story telling has too many holes.

'Tis a pity she is a 'ho', (Not the play by John Ford)

[jotix100 · 1/10 · 29 November 2010]

Valerie Tasso wrote the novel in which this film is based. It appears the movie, either was released only in Europe and some foreign markets, or it went directly into DVD. The diary of this woman was brought to the screen by Spanish director Christian Molina with a screenplay by Cuca Canals that is clumsy as well as awkward.

Our sole interest in watching the movie was because of the presence of Leonardo Sbaraglia, a good actor from Argentina that is equally at ease in his native country as well as in Spain, where he has enjoyed a somewhat good career, but alas, let us hope he does not give his work in this terrible film as a reference. We watched the film in a cable channel while overseas.

Valere, the woman at the center of the story makes no bones about her addiction to sex. In fact, she can wear out anyone that goes to bed with her. She makes the mistake of falling in love with the bipolar Jaime, a man that suffered from premature ejaculation, something she never thought would happen to her.

When she decides to become a professional prostitute, she joins the house of Cristina, a madam with lesbian tendencies. Val suddenly realizes that even though she makes a lot of money doing what she loves best, she is at the mercy of the basest types that will stop at nothing with her because they feel they own her.

The film wastes Mr. Sbaraglia in, perhaps, his worst performance. A horrible Geraldine Chaplin is seen as Valere's grandmother and a totally out of control Angela Molina, plays the madam. Belen Fabra bares it all without any problems.

This is a film targeted for voyeurs that will consider this movie as a work of art, no doubt.

Movie of sex? No.

[roscoeren · 5/10 · 12 February 2011]

I think most people could read the sex hint from the name of the movie but I have to admit there are really more sex scenes than I expected. I can't agree the people who say this movie kills time. I think it reflects a reality that most people don't know. The sex addict. There ARE people who want to make love time by time and it ruins their lives. The movie tells the truth. When you understand this, the erotic scenes do not let you feel uncomfortable. 5 of 10. Recommanded movie.

As for the content of movie, it tells how hard it could be for a woman with sex addict. She cannot stay with one man for long time. No man could make love time by time!!! After several times breaking up, she decided to be a prostitute which could bring her both sex lives and money. But unfortunately she is too charming, the client falls in love with her...

Finally, she has to end this and go to nowhere to find a life for her. Tragedy.

An excellent movie that makes you think

[tauraskalasauskas · 10/10 · 2 August 2009]

I have read about this movie in a TV magazine and decided to give it a try. To be honest, the word "nymphomane"(or "sex addict" as it appears in the English title) was what attracted me since no porn movies ever appear in that magazine. And indeed it was not something to be called a porn movie since porn movies rarely have plots that make one think about one's life. Yes, this movie does have 'many' sex scenes, but there's a lot more to it.

Valére (Belén Fabra) has a very interesting and complicated personality that develops during the movie based on what she hears and experiences and it should be very difficult to portray it but Belén Fabra reveals her self as a splendid actor in a role that suits her perfectly. This movie makes one think about his life, about making decisions and about those who influence them but above all, this movie teaches one very important thing: 'enjoy life'!

All in all, I had a pleasant evening (leaving me full of thoughts) and I would recommend this to everyone, because it can surprise in many ways. I give it a 10/10 for it's originality, deep thoughts and great acting.

*Please do have in mind that this movie does have many scenes that include full nudity and sexual intercourse and is only suitable for mature audience*

Enjoyable Feminist Soft Core Sex Film

[jayraskin1 · 8/10 · 24 December 2011]

This film is a throwback to the 1970's and 1980's, where films had to pretend to be exploring psychology to show lots of scenes of love making. It is in the "Belle de Jour," and "Emmanuel" style of filmmaking.

Belén Fabra is quite beautiful and she's a good actress. you feel her enjoyment of sex, but also her shyness.

This is a gentle and nicely photographed/set designed movie that has just enough of a plot to hold the viewer's interest.

If there could be a genre called feminist porn, this might be a type. The film is as anxious about revealing the lead character's emotional state as it is about revealing her body.

The lead character, Valérie, learns lessons about love and sex, but it is hard to say exactly what those lessons are. Perhaps, it is only that they don't always turn out well, but that's no reason to stop either activity.

Geraldine Chaplin makes a quick appearance as a wise grandmother. It is great to see her and she adds a bit of seriousness to this quite light and enjoyable movie.

Leonardo Sbaraglia is good as Valerie's handsome potential life mate and lover, Jaime.

In Pursuit of Satisfaction

[prash_142 · 8/10 · 12 November 2010]

First of all, I was drawn by the topic. Though it is common, European art movies are known to bring out the emotions really well.

Initially, the movie went nowhere but after a while, it picked up pace and the Love, Marriage, Sex, Fight, Infidelity are all brushed through pretty quick.

Though it is quick, it makes a point on the emotions of the female lead very well, the thoughts, expressions, disgust, disappointment are all captured really well. There is enough nudity to be rated mature. But definitely shown enough to emphasize the sexual desires of the character. It is titillating to an extent..

She joins a brothel later and thoroughly enjoys the sex and experience with an open mind. Though dejected later because her love for a client fails and realizes there isn't guy who loves her truly, she finally accepts her desires, emotions, quits the prostitution and goes on with her life.

I liked this for the subject being presented in a very good way and explores the human fantasies and desires tastefully. It is a must watch for Independent film fans and art film fans. It is not a commercial movie material for sure.

Cannot ask for more

[KentaroK · 10/10 · 15 November 2016]

It is difficult to discuss this movie without spoilers, so if you are a mature human being, who is not offended by raw sexuality, then go watch this movie first, then come back to read this review.

Okay, so, the movie deserves a perfect score. Not because of its high production values, although they are fairly high, but because it does what movies are supposed to do: engage, entertain, and even provoke the expression of thought.

The story-line serves to provide a unique view on relationships, freedom, and sexuality which is refreshingly free of "political" rhetoric, "correct" or not. Instead, it invites you to live life more fully, more freely, and to choose for yourself how to do this.

It also shows that patience and time are needed to grow into your own maturity, apart from the conventions which may have been imposed in the past.

The main message is: how to live without compromise, even if in the past, you had to compromise a lot.

Of course, that is just my opinion, you are free to come to your own conclusions... and I expect, that the more people that watch it, the more opinions will be fostered.

10/10, A++, an awesome movie. Also, watch until the very end, they are mid-credit scenes and end-credit dialogue.

Duped into watching this film, I found myself appreciating the deception.

[TimothyLawActorDirectorWriter · 8/10 · 29 March 2014]

In search of previews for NYMPHOMANIAC (2013) I came across this little gem Posted to YouTube as Nymphomaniac official full HD (2013). It was entirely to delectable to be of the genuine label, but who can resist free samples when pursuing sustenance at the supermarket. Right away I could taste the salty cut of low budget soft core porn disguised as something meatier. Distracted by the horrific notion that my new lap top was experiencing some freakish resolution anomaly as the image twisted and contorted about on the screen, I continued to sit there baffled watching in bewilderment. As odd as it would be for a grand piano to fall from the window of a ten story building, it hit me. No, could this possibly be an attempt at Auteur Theory Porn? By that point, It didn't really matter. The Fear and Loathing camera styling had me so lost in this poor girl's delusions that I simply had to keep watching so I could figure out what was going on inside her head. If you appreciate classic film styling and art cinema then this is a prodigal attempt at Auteur-otica well worth watching. Kudos to the director or Auteur as the case may be.

excellent film, excellent reviews

[thesiouxfallskid · 9/10 · 30 April 2020]

I watched the film before reading any reviews, which turned out well for me. However, if you are unsure about watching this film, you might read the reviews where the reviewer rates the film 8, 9 or 10 and perhaps a couple without a rating. These reviews I think are well enough thought out that I need not add to them. Really a excellent and very serious film.

Powerful message through a wonderfully performing cast

[ryanhadi · 9/10 · 17 April 2018]

When you're a woman or a person like Val in this harsh judgemental world you better lookout for yourself and be vigilant about your own happiness. This story was spot on and very well represented by the actors here. Of course, some scenes might seem cliché but isn't life always consisting of some?

Daringly great film that bashes double standards and asks the viewer to look more closely at the basic human animal.

[erva-denham · 10/10 · 5 August 2013]

This movie is already five years old, and even the title may have changed since it was billed as, when I viewed it recently, "Diary of a Nymphomaniac," which is in keeping with the Spanish title.

Recommendations:

1. Try to view the movie with no preconceived notions - turn off, if you have them, whatever accepted double-standards regarding sexual behavior you may hold.

2. As life is (we hope), a long and continuing process, so, too, is this story, but each segment serves to add to the motivation and character development of the dramatis personae.

3. Allow the characters to be the human beings they are, warts and all.

Do the above as you view this movie, and you, too, will appreciate it!

One of the best movie for women

[salim_eraj · 9/10 · 12 May 2021]

You will enjoy both men from scenes and women from story.