| After Sex | |
| Producer: | Humbert Balsan |
| Starring: | Brigitte Roüan Patrick Chesnais |
| Music: | Michel Musseau Umberto Tozzi |
| Cinematography: | Pierre Dupouey |
| Editing: | Laurent Roüan |
| Runtime: | 97 minutes |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French |
After Sex (French: Post Coïtum, Animal Triste) is a 1997 film by French director Brigitte Roüan.
Roüan stars in the film as Diane Clovier, a married mother of two who has an affair with the friend of a young writer she is mentoring. Meanwhile, her husband, a lawyer, is defending a woman charged with murdering her unfaithful spouse.
The film was well received in its native France, but raised some eyebrows for its sympathetic treatment of a woman's infidelity. The film also received positive notice in the United States, where it was released in 1998. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
The original French title, literally "After Coitus, Sad Animal", alludes to post-coital tristesse.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 74% based on reviews from 18 critics, with an average rating of 6.4/10.[2]
Steve Davis of The Austin Chronicle gave the film 3 stars out of 5,[3] while Sandra Brennan AllMovie gives it 2 stars out of 5.[4]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3 stars out of 4 and stated that "By the end of the film, we have come to admire Rouan's courage as a performer and a filmmaker, in following Diane's mania as far as it will go".[5]