Henry & June 1990

In 1931 Paris, France, French writer Anaïs Nin (Maria de Medeiros) is emotionally and financially supported by her British banker husband, Hugo (Richard E. Grant), who sacrificed his work as an artist to back her fledgling career. However, Anaïs complains he is a bureaucrat, and longs for friendships and sexual affairs with “creative” people. One day, Hugo brings home American novelist Henry Miller (Fred Ward), who is staying at the apartment of Osborn (Kevin Spacey), their eccentric playwright friend. According to Osborn, Henry’s work speaks for average people, but he will never be published because of his raunchy depictions of sex.

Anaïs is intrigued by the expatriate and goes to Osborn’s run-down residence to loan Henry her typewriter. There, she finds Osborn in bed with three nude women (the morning after having a foursome with them) and learns that Henry is at a movie at the local cinema theater. Inside the theater, Anaïs touches Henry’s shoulder from behind and he runs away in tears. She follows him to a backstreet café, where he explains his despair: The actress in the film reminds him of his estranged, bisexual younger wife, June (Uma Thurman), who supplied him with outrageous stories about her life to inspire his work. June believed Henry was the next Fyodor Dostoevsky and financed his career in order to be “immortalized” in his novels. When Henry questioned the source of his wife’s assets, he was disgusted to learn she was prostituting herself to a man named “Pop.” In response, he left her in New York City and traveled to Europe, hoping to live in a society that was more hospitable to struggling artists. Back on the streets of Paris, Anaïs gives the destitute author money and follows him into a brothel.

Sometime later, June Miller arrives in Paris to reunite with her husband and Anaïs is mesmerized by her beauty. Anaïs and Hugo become fast friends with the Millers, but June suddenly decides to return to America. When she tries to book an ocean liner back to New York City, she does not have enough money, and Anaïs gives her a fist-full of cash. However, June arranges to meet the male booking agent for a romantic tryst in exchange for a ticket, and pockets Anaïs’s money.

Before June’s departure, Anaïs meets her at Henry’s studio and they read his unfinished manuscript for Tropic of Cancer. June is outraged to recognize herself in the character “Mona” and complains that Henry is incapable of understanding beauty. As the Millers argue with each other, June accuses her husband of misogyny and runs away. Anaïs follows her friend into the misty evening and they go to a lesbian nightclub, where, over drinks and smoking cigarettes, June admits to living a life of indiscretions. However, Anaïs is impressed by June’s sexual worldliness, and wishes aloud that she, too, could be free from social conformity. As the friends embrace on the dance floor, June announces she is leaving in the morning for New York City. She gives Anaïs her silver bracelet and they share a long and very passionate kiss.

In June’s absence the following evening, Hugo and Anaïs meet Henry at another nightclub. There, Anaïs tells Henry that she intends to write a book about June. While Hugo plays conga drums, Henry follows Anaïs backstage and they make love for the first time. The experience rekindles her affection for Hugo, but when he leaves town on a business trip, Anaïs begins a passionate affair with Henry. He introduces her to the Parisian underworld of contortionists, magicians, and the renowned photographer, Brassi.

In time, Anaïs shows Henry her private journals and he vows to love her forever. They continue to read each other’s work, but Henry begins to edit Anaïs’s journals and insists her prose will grow stronger with his criticism. Offended, Anaïs storms away and Henry follows her through the Parisian streets during an “Art Student’s Ball.” They reconcile and return to Osborn’s apartment, but Henry is unable to perform sexually and falls asleep. Anaïs wanders back through the carnival and has sex with a costumed stranger, only to realize he is Hugo. With her sexual fantasies incited, Anaïs takes Hugo to the brothel frequented by Henry to watch a love-making “exhibition” between two women who resemble her and June.

Anaïs later seduces her cousin, Eduardo (Jean-Philippe Ecoffey), and tearfully confesses her infatuation with June. During his separation from Anaïs, Henry finishes Tropic of Cancer on her typewriter. With the manuscript and a bouquet of pilfered flowers in hand, Henry bicycles to Anaïs’s country home and they make love. At the same time, however, Hugo returns unexpectedly from a business trip and the maid stalls him in the kitchen. When he heads upstairs, Anaïs quickly explains that Henry is sleeping in her study, exhausted from finishing Tropic of Cancer, and whisks her husband into their bedroom to make love. As the couple reads the manuscript in bed, Henry tries to sneak away, but Hugo invites him into their chambers and praises the book.

Later, Anaïs tells Henry that the novel provokes her jealousy of June. When he insists Tropic of Cancer represents an emotional farewell to his wife, Anaïs promises to help publish the book.

One night, Anaïs and Eduardo visit Osborn’s apartment for a party and are surprised to find June, drinking with her husband having just returned from New York. Stepping away from the revelry, June admits she read the book Anaïs wrote about her and complains it is not true to life. When Henry’s new publisher, Jack (Bruce Myers), arrives at the party, June is appalled to learn her husband will only earn five percent of the book’s profits. She seductively asks Jack to meet her on another occasion to sweeten the deal.

When the party ends and all of the guests leave, June complains that Tropic of Cancer is not ready for publication, and insists that Henry is taking advantage of Anaïs. Losing control of his anger, Henry becomes violent which he smashes a kitchen sink. June hides in the bedroom with Anaïs. There, the two women finally consummate their growing attraction to each other and make love for the first time. But afterwords, June accuses Anaïs of being in cahoots with Henry, exploiting her sexuality to benefit her own writing career. When Anaïs runs to Henry’s side, June’s suspicion of their affair is confirmed. Declaring her intent to leave both writers for good, June tosses both of her lovers’ manuscripts into the air and runs away in a deluge of scattered pages. Henry follows his wife, denying his infidelity, with Anaïs in tow.

Outside in the foggy night, Henry assumes June is lost forever and embraces Anaïs, but the she believes their muse is watching from afar. Back at Osborn’s apartment, Anaïs pieces the pages of her book back together, ends her affair with Henry, and returns to Hugo who warmly welcomes her back.