A "ménage à trois" ("household of three") in its original sense meant the practice of or desire for intimate relationships with more than one partner (eg· three), with the full knowledge, approval, and participation of all partners· In my lifetime, I have known of only one true "ménage à trois"· Their family maintained itself for many years well into their elder years· I did not know them socially, but I am told by those who did that they seemed to be a happy well adjusted family·
Wild Side is a melancholy story of Stephanie (formerly Pierre), Mikhail and Djamel as they coalesce into their unconventional family, and Liliane, Stephanie's mother, who is terminally ill· Lillian never accepts Stephanie's choices - she calls her Pierre; nor does she accept the two men as lovers· However, as she moves closer to her own death, she no longer seems to do battle against them· The business of the "ménage" is mostly in the marginal world of sex workers· The film itself is poetic, and well made cinematically· While the story often seems muddled and unfocused, it is a beautiful immersive emotional film.