“White As Snow”– Movie Review

During the opening weekend of The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, I attended the International Premiere of the new French comedy, “White As Snow” (AKA, “Pure As Snow” or in the original French, “Blanche comme neige”), directed by Anne Fontaine, with Isabelle Huppert. 

Synopsis

After a young woman is kidnapped, she is rescued by strangers – but when the kidnapper learns of her whereabouts, her life becomes endangered.

Story

There is absolutely nothing extraordinary about Claire (Lou de Laâge) or the life that she leads.  She works for her stepmother Maud (Huppert) at a spa she owns and operates.  Maud is an exacting proprietor who is detail-oriented and insists on meeting or exceeding the expectations of her clientele.  Both Maud and her stepdaughter are extremely focused on operating the business.  Perhaps this is because Maud’s husband (Claire’s father) recently passed away and this is how they both deal with their respective loss.  But who can say?  Maud has always treated Claire more like an employee than a stepdaughter and this hasn’t changed.

One day while going out for a jog, Claire is abducted by some masked people who toss her in the trunk of their car and drive to a remote rural area far away from the city where Claire lives and works.  During the drive, the kidnappers have an accident; they swerve off the road and hit a tree, crashing the car and rendering Claire unconscious.  Later, she awakens in a farm house without a clue as to either how or when she got there.  It turns out that she was saved by a pair of twin brothers who found her wandering around a nearby the forest. 

What is behind the mystery of Claire’s kidnapping?  Maud – who is jealous of the effect the beautiful Claire has on other men.  When Maud learns Claire is alive and well, she hunts her down, determined to finish the job the kidnappers could not.  But when she finds Claire, Maud is stunned to learn her stepdaughter has transformed into a a carnal seductress who has many of the town’s men under her spell.  Infuriated, Maud becomes even more determined that Claire must go, so she enacts a plan to take out her stepdaughter.  But will Maud’s attempt to poison Claire succeed?

Review

In the years this blog service has been available, there have been reviews of movies that have attempted their own take on an adaptation of the classic story of Snow White (see here and here as examples).  Without a doubt, Fontaine’s “White As Snow” is the most clever and original that have been reviewed on this site.  Also, it is certainly the most entertaining not to mention the sexiest.  Make no mistake about it, this is an adult interpretation of the legendary fairy tale (the scene with the squirrels on the car’s windshield is priceless).   

It is always a treat to see Isabelle Huppert on screen – unsurprisingly, she is great in “White As Snow”.  But hers is not the performance that is most notable.  Instead, it is that of Lou de Laâge; her Claire shows immense range in her acting talents.  Claire starts as being reserved and conservative in both her behavior and lifestyle.  The turning point is her kidnapping where this young woman turns her life around; her metamorphosis is believable but also remarkable.  You are awestruck when you see her exploring her sexuality and becoming the life of the party.   

Following the screening, there was a question and answer session with director Anne Fontaine.  She did not originally plan to make a film based on “Snow White”; what she originally set out to do was to tell a story about a woman who was sexually emancipated and who meets men with whom she can share her sense of newly-found liberation without fear of punishment or judgment of any kind.  When she met with the co-writer of the screenplay to hash out the idea, it was the co-writer who observed that the concept bore some similarities to the legendary fairy tale; it was at that point they decided this was the best way to go.  Fontaine mentioned that many of the overhead shots used drones rigged with cameras due to the rugged mountainous terrain which made it too difficult to use typical equipment like cranes. 

“Standing Up, Falling Down”– Movie Review

At the start of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, I attended the World Premiere of the new comedy-drama, “Standing Up, Falling Down”, starring Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz. 

Synopsis

When a struggling comedian returns to his hometown, will a chance friendship with an older man help to rejuvenate his career?

Story

For the past four years, Scott (Schwartz) has been living in Los Angeles trying to break into show business as a stand-up comedian.  He’s found it tough going, to put it mildly, and decides to return home to Long Island, New York.  He’ll have to live with his parents – at least temporarily, anyway.  Scott’s new plan is to try to reinvigorate his career as a stand-up, despite the fact that his family isn’t terribly supportive of his aspiration; his father believes that since Scott’s now in his early 30’s, he should pursue something more stable.

While hanging out at a bar one night, Scott meets Marty (Crystal), a local dermatologist – surprising, given his current state of inebriation.  Scott makes an appointment with Marty, who treats him for a case of stress hives.  During the visit, the two seem to hit if off quite well and they start to spend quite a good deal of time with each other.  During this period, they share a great deal of personal information:  Scott, for example, admits to anxiety over his professional life and that he’s still pining over his ex-girlfriend, Becky; Marty talks longingly about his two late wives and both of his adult offspring, from whom he’s been estranged. 

After a few successful appearances at nearby clubs, Scott begins to get encouragement about his now-burgeoning comedy career.  Full of confidence, he decides to pursue Becky, who married another man after Scott left for California.  Marty, who’s dealing with a recurrence of alcohol abuse, decides to repair his relationship with both his son and daughter; they grew increasingly distant upon their mother’s suicide, which they blamed on Marty’s alcohol use as well as him having an affair with another woman.  Will the friendship that Scott and Marty forged prove to propel them in their personal life?  

Review

Over the years, it has been rare that many (or any) of the films that play The Tribeca Film Festival actually find a path to distribution.  “Standing Up, Falling Down” may actually turn out to be the exception.  This is not merely because of the the involvement of Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz but also because it is a rather pleasant movie.  While having many serious moments, there are quite funny ones, too – most notably the scenes between Crystal and Schwartz where they are provided the opportunity to comedically riff off of each other to great result. 

By no means is “Standing Up, Falling Down” perfect.  The story reaches a point where it challenges your suspension of disbelief; that is the point at which the audience is expected to buy into the fact that Scott’s ex-girlfriend, Becky (played by Eloise Mumford), remains stuck on him despite her marrying a much more handsome man after Scott left her to pursue his comedy career in Los Angeles.  What it was she saw in him in the first place is difficult to understand, especially since Becky is so good looking it’s hard to grasp why she was attracted to him.  

Following the screening, there was a question and answer session with director Matt Ratner, screenwriter Peter Hoare and stars Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz.  The movie was shot in only three days – due in part to its infinitesimal budget (Crystal seemed to suggest it was under a million dollars).  There is a scene that was shot in a temple, which Crystal claimed was the same one he attended as a child.  He said that his character presented something of a challenge for him because Marty was a complicated man and the role itself was a combination of humor and pathos.  Crystal added that he liked the script because it was reminiscent of his film, “Mr. Saturday Night”, which was one of his favorites. 

“Share”– Movie Review

This weekend, I attended the closing night of the New Directors/New Films festival, with the New York Premiere of the drama “Share”, written and directed by Pippa Bianco. 

Synopsis

When a high school student is victimized by a viral video, can she and her family recover from this experience?

Story

Early one morning, Mandy (Rhianne Barreto), a teenager, awakens, but she is not in bed; instead, she finds herself face-down on her parents’ front lawn.  How she got there is unclear, but she somehow manages to make her way inside, where she gets a much-needed good night’s sleep.  Eventually, she returns to school, where she attends classes and resumes playing on her high school basketball team.  Life, it seems, is back to normal – but this doesn’t last.  Before too long, Mandy’s friends contact her, informing her that there is a compromising video of her on the internet. 

From there, things begin to unravel for everyone.  Soon, the police are contacted, the school’s administration becomes involved and the salacious story is portrayed by the nightly news on television.  But the question remains:  who is the victim and who is the perpetrator in this instance?  None of the answers are crystal clear – including for Mandy herself.  She was at a party with her fellow students, then had an extended make-out session with one of them. After a night of binge drinking, she passed out and was then taken advantage of by that young man.

Soon, the community turns against not only Mandy, but also, her entire family.  When one of the boys in the video is suspended from school, his father engages in a physical confrontation with Mandy’s father.  Even Mandy finds herself under suspicion of the school when it is believed that she may not have been the victim she was originally portrayed to be.  Under suspension from her basketball team because of her drinking episode, Mandy finds her friends and teammates turning away from her.  With the entire family under the microscope, will Mandy be able to maintain her standing at the school when she discovers that she may have been a willing participant in this escapade?     

Review

In “Share”, there is an enormous degree of courage, nuance and complexity.  A great deal of this story’s complexity derives from the impact of technology – that is, the social impact which technology has had on all of us, regardless of our own individual demographic.  What that means is, culturally, we cannot see a clear right and wrong when viewing a movie such as this because rights and wrongs abound all throughout.  Clearly, the finger of blame may be pointed at more than one person and those targets are not necessarily ones who are the most obviously villainous. 

Pippa Bianco has created a film which will likely start a long, uncomfortable conversation for people regardless of political philosophy, gender and age.  Bianco tells her story by gradually peeling away layers of an onion; doing so makes for an interesting narrative choice but results in the audience being challenged.  We know whose story this is but have we been rooting for or against the wrong people?  The more we learn of the details behind the story, the more our view of certain characters changes.  As a result, the people whom we assumed were the protagonists and antagonists in the beginning may change as the motion picture progresses. 

Following the screening, there was an interview with writer/director Pippa Bianco, who said that this film started back in 2015 as a short with the same title; that version was basically the first portion of this movie and the feature (longer form) was the aftermath.  She shot the short with the hope and intention that eventually she would be able to turn in into a longer form eventually.  Towards that end, she did extensive research into cases such as this, which included not only victims, but also alleged perpetrators, school administrators, digital surveillance experts and many others.   

“The Best Of Enemies”– Movie Review

This week, I attended a TimesTalks screening of the new drama, “The Best Of Enemies”, starring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. 

Synopsis

When a Klan leader and an African-American activist are forced to work together, will they learn to be more tolerant of each other?

Story

In Durham, North Carolina of 1971, the KKK has a stranglehold on many residents; as a matter of fact, many elected officials – while not actual members themselves – are quite supportive of the Klan and use them to help with maintaining white control.  Leader of the local Klan organization is C.P. Ellis (Rockwell), who runs a gas station in town.  His association with this group is something of an open secret, yet no one does much of anything to stop him from terrorizing their African American neighbors or white people who may be sympathetic to their plight.  

Of course, none of this sits terribly well with Ann Atwater (Henson), a fellow Durham resident who works as an activist for local African-American causes.  While she fights hard for herself, her family and her friends, Ann realizes that it’s a truly Sisyphean task – not that such a thing is sufficient to stop her, it’s just that she’s not foolish enough to think that any of it will be at all easy.  Ann’s greatest challenge comes when an all-black school is burned down, causing its students to miss school.  While they try to attended split schedules in order to make up the time, the best way to catch up is to integrate these students with their white counterparts at the remaining school.

This of course does not sit well with C.P., the Klan and most of the white people in town.  When legal forces intervene, they send Bill Riddick (Babou Ceesay), an African-American lawyer from up north, who is considered expert in resolving these matters.  In surveying the political landscape, Riddick decides that he must convene a charrette with the major stakeholders in order to resolve the matter.  In order to do so, he must gather together a collection of individuals from the opposing sides and pick a leader on each side.  But when he picks C.P. and Ann as leaders, will a peaceful resolution ever be realized? 

Review

“The Best Of Enemies” is based on a true story and is adapted from a book of the same name.  While the movie’s ending packs quite the emotional wallop, it is really the end titles that are more fascinating than the film itself.  During the credits, old interviews with the real people are shown; C.P. died in 2005 and Ann passed – poverty-stricken – in 2016.  Since Ann survived C.P., it is rather fitting that she delivered his eulogy. It is certainly a shame neither of these people lived to see their respective story reach the big screen. 

That said, it probably would have better been told as a documentary rather than a feature film. Given their history together and the amount of press coverage Ann got for her activism, there’s probably a good deal of footage that could have been repurposed for a more compelling documentary.  While the director swears nothing was embellished in this movie, he maintains the source material is so rich there was a considerable amount of information – both concerning the two individuals and the overall story itself – which needed to be expunged from the screenplay.  Even better justification for a multi-part documentary on PBS or Netflix, not unlike Ken Burns’ work.

This motion picture could very well have been produced as a made-for-TV movie; had it been, it likely would be better received.  As a major studio release, however, there’s not much about it that is particularly remarkable; in all likelihood, the reason for releasing it at all might very well be tied in to the success of the award-nominated “The Green Book” (a critical darling, despite its well-documented controversy) as well as the political climate in which we currently find ourselves (Charlottesville, anyone?).  One positive note about the film is its make-up artists: how they managed to make Taraji P. Henson look dowdy is a minor miracle.

“Monos”– Movie Review

This past weekend at The New Directors/New Films festival, I attended its Centerpiece screening, the New York Premiere of the Colombian drama, “Monos”, with Julianne Nicholson.

Synopsis

When an American engineer is kidnapped in Colombia, can she escape or will she be held hostage until a ransom is paid?

Story

Monos is a team of paramilitary teenagers stationed in the mountains of Colombia.  They have been holding captive an American woman – Sara Watson (Nicholson), an engineer whom they call “Doctora”.  Periodically, she is called upon to provide “Proof Of Life” to the outside world in order to show that she is unharmed.  In their rugged terrain, Monos have been trained to survive, but Doctora, as clever as she may be, struggles. This group of young men and women have forsaken not only their family but also their identity – they now do not go by their given name or their family name, but instead by made-up nicknames.

While in the mountains, they become aware of the possibility of an impending attack.  The opposition forces looking to not only defeat Monos but also to rescue Watson are on their way.  Monos prepare for the attack by building trenches as well as moving Watson to a more secure location in order to make it harder for the opposition to find her.  Following an intense battle, they succeed in retaining Watson, but since the opposition was able to track them down, they will now need to relocate. It is at this point they vacate their mountaintop and head for the treacherous jungle. 

Once in the jungle, Watson becomes restless and decides that now is the time for her to attempt an escape.  When the soldiers are inattentive, Watson sneaks out with a limited collection of supplies, trying to navigate the jungle and its wide variety of hazards.  But once she thinks she’s reaching freedom, she’s cornered by a couple of soldiers who bring her back to their camp, this time chaining her so she can’t move too far.  One day, Watson is eventually able to overpower one of her captors, smash the chain and get away. This time, will Watson finally be able to reach civilization, or will the soldiers be able to recapture her yet again?  

Review

If you compare “Monos” to a cross between “The Heart Of Darkness”/”Apocalypse Now” and “The Lord Of The Flies”, don’t worry – you’re in great company.  Such comparisons are inevitable. Many others have already done the same. In fact, director Alejandro Landes pays homage to “Lord Of The Flies” – there’s actually a scene where a pig’s head is on a pike.  Also, Landes himself admits to borrowing some from “The Heart Of Darkness” when conceiving the movie. In any event, the look and feel of “Monos” is certainly reminiscent of both works – apparently intentionally so. 

“Monos” is definitely not for everyone.  If you are familiar with the internecine battles that have hampered Colombia over the decades, then you will likely have better insight to this motion picture.  Aside from its savagery, the viewer is left in the dark throughout much of the movie. For example, it is not until very late in the story that we learn who Doctora is and possibly why she was kidnapped (it’s still not certain exactly how she became their prisoner).  What was the reason these kids joined The Organization? We can probably guess, but again, it’s still not very clear. Character motivation is never explicitly stated. If this is a problem for you, then “Monos” might not be your type of film. While we may find ourselves rooting for Sara Watson’s freedom, at no time are we ever hoping for these adolescents to escape because they seem to enjoy their role.       

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Alejandro Landes, who said the shoot was challenging because of the extreme environments; everyone was stretched to their physical limitations.  He was even carried out on a stretcher at one point.  The movie was shot in Colombia, which, Landes said, was the initial inspiration for the film. For the past 60 years or so, the nation has been involved in a civil war; now, Landes states, they find themselves in something of a fragile peace agreement. Landes believes that the people are wary because there are so many splinter groups throughout the country that they’re not sure if they will continue fighting or simply give up. 

“Clemency”– Movie Review

 

This week, I attended the opening night of the 2019 New Directors/New Films festival, screening the New York Premiere of “Clemency”, a drama, starring Alfre Woodard, Wendell Pierce and Aldis Hodge

Synopsis

When a long-time prison warden becomes overwhelmed by executions, can she prevent the next one when she suspects the inmate may be innocent?

Story

After years of overseeing her prison’s executions, they are beginning to take its toll on Warden Bernadine Williams (Woodard).  Comforting friends and family members of the inmates destined for capital punishment is draining, as is the execution process itself.  Following a prisoner’s particularly problematic death by lethal injection, Bernadine finds herself haunted by this experience; she reacts by hanging out in bars after work in order to self-medicate.   In addition, the relationship with her husband Jonathan (Pierce) is collapsing as a result. Her home life is just as troubling as her professional life.

Due up next is Anthony Woods (Hodge).  All during his trial as well as his incarceration, Woods has been adamant about the fact that he is innocent.  Given that his execution date is soon approaching, he and his lawyer Marty (Richard Schiff) have been accelerating their efforts to get him exonerated.  At the very least, Woods seeks clemency from the governor’s office in order to avoid execution. Marty decides to try the case in the court of public opinion -- he takes to the media in order to get Woods’ story some much needed publicity, hoping that enough advocates can influence the governor’s opinion.

The more Bernadine learns about Woods’ case, the more she begins to question whether the decision to execute him is correct.  Agonizing over this situation, she tries to be of as much assistance and support to the inmate as possible. Bernadine meets with Marty to discuss Woods, but she insists that her hands are tied in this matter.  Marty refuses to take this as an answer and vows to both Bernadine and his client that he will fight back as much as possible in as many ways as possible. On the day the execution is scheduled, Woods is ushered into the execution room with witnesses observing.  Can Bernadine go through with this or will she refuse to allow Woods to be executed?

Review

The main reason to see “Clemency” is its cast; there are top-notch performances here.  Having said that, however, the presence of these actors and their performance (both individually and collectively) cannot elevate a screenplay that has some obvious weaknesses here.  As a director, Chinonye Chukwu tends to linger on certain shots a little too long, almost to the point of creating an awkward moment. This script was somewhat ill-conceived. For one thing, it has an inconclusive ending that provides no clear resolution to the story.  Also, the protagonist, while a sympathetic character, is not necessarily designed in a way that lends her to be rooted for in a dramatic narrative.

This last point merits further attention.  The character of Bernardine is essentially drawn as a passive heroine; she has no arc.  In other words, we can see her conflict (albeit somewhat internal) and the audience can understand what she wants (or doesn’t want).  Yet, she effectively does nothing about either resolving her conflict or getting what she wants. We are given to understand that Bernardine is in turmoil and that it impacts her both professionally and personally -- but when her husband leaves her, it is temporary and he conveniently returns just as quickly as he moved out.  From a dramatic standpoint, this is all a bit too tidy; if he was really that disturbed by her behavior, he would not have moved out in the first place. Making this a throw-away story beat is a disservice to both the movie itself and its viewers.

Following the screening, there was an interview with writer/director Chinonye Chukwu.  She recalled her involvement began back in 2011 when she first heard about a real case of an execution being protested.  Due in part to a small budget, the film was shot in only 17 days.  When shooting the execution scenes, she retained a warden to help her block the scenes and make the process look as realistic as possible.  In fact, there were some other special considerations that had to be addressed when shooting those scenes:  A therapist was kept on set for these scenes in order to provide emotional support for the cast members and crew; some people who were cast as extras found themselves being triggered. 

“Diane”– Movie Review

This past week at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center, I attended a sneak preview of the drama “Diane”, written and directed by Kent Jones and starring Mary Kay Place in the title role.

Synopsis

Can an aging woman bond with her substance-abusing son despite a past indiscretion that has divided them for years?

Story

Diane (Place) is a giver.  She always has been and she always will be.  But she’s a human being so, by definition, she’s not perfect – and she’s well aware of this.  Nowadays, she works at a food kitchen with her friend Bobbie (Andrea Martin) where they feed the indigent.  When she’s not busy there, Diane spends her time visiting and caring for other people.  One of them is her cousin Dottie (Glynnis O'Connor), who has been hospitalized with cervical cancer.  The other is her adult son Brian (Jake Lacy), a drug addict. 

Shortly before Dottie passes away, she confesses to Diane that while she forgives her for something that happened twenty years ago, she clearly hasn’t forgotten it either.  It turns out that Diane stole Dottie’s boyfriend Jess and ran off with him, leaving Dottie to care for Brian all by herself.  It is only shortly before Dottie’s death that Diane learns she has been holding this against her all this time in spite of the fact that it has all been unspoken for a long time.  After Dottie’s death, Diane starts to lose other close friends in seemingly quick succession and she finds herself mostly alone. 

When Diane is unable to locate Brian for some period of time, he suddenly reaches out to her and informs Diane that he’s been in a rehab facility all of this time.  What she eventually learns is that through his rehab, he has become a member of a cult-like Christian church where he has met and eventually married a woman who shares his religious obsession.  While Diane is quite disturbed by this, she believes that the best thing for her at this point is to distance herself from Brian and his wife.  But when Brian subsequently visits Diane and confronts her about the incident from twenty years ago, will they finally be able to find a peace with each other? 

Review

About a year ago, “Diane” was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival here in New York City; it wound up winning awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography at that festival.  Based on that, and some degree of success in other festivals, it was fortunate enough to find a path to distribution.  All of that having been said, it is something of a slog to get through, despite the fact that it is only about an hour and a half in length.  This is due to two factors:  one thing is that it is totally absent of  any humor, which causes it to feel a bit painful to sit through.  The other is the fact that it lacks forward momentum that pushes the story forward. 

While many of the kudos for “Diane” go to the performances by the cast, this is largely due to it essentially being a character-based movie; it is an episodic slice-of-life style with very little in the way of a traditional narrative three-act structure.  In “Diane” it is difficult to discern the act breaks because many of the scenes feel as though they could be relocated to other points in the film without the viewer noticing very much.  Without a sense of the story propelling towards a conclusion, the viewer doesn’t get the impression the motion picture is going in any particular direction; instead, it is just meandering.       

Following the screening, there was an interview with writer/director Kent Jones, who said that “Diane” was shot in only 20 days.  Although the story takes place in western and central Massachusetts, he shot it in upstate New York because of the tax breaks the state offers.  There are quite a few shots of driving; while the obvious assumption is that it was done for transitional purposes, that’s only part of the reason for their inclusion.  The other reason, Jones stated, is that in western/central Massachusetts, people do in fact spend an inordinate amount of time in their car driving in order to get from one location to another. 

“Keep An Eye Out!”– Movie Review

This past weekend, I attended the closing day of The French Film Festival at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center, for the New York Premiere of the new comedy, “Keep An Eye Out” (aka, “Au poste!”).

Synopsis

When a suspect in a murder is interrogated by police detectives, can he convince them of his innocence?

Story

Fugain (Grégoire Ludig) stumbled upon a dead body outside his apartment building.  Being the good citizen that he is, Fugain immediately reports his findings to the local police department.  When brought in for questioning, he is surprisingly viewed as a possible suspect. The case is assigned to Inspector Buron (Benoît Poelvoorde), who is particularly fastidious when it comes to his sui generis interviewing technique (to put it mildly).  But after taking an unusually long period of time to conduct the interview – and to ask seemingly irrelevant questions – the Inspector decides to take a break. It is at this point he assigns Philippe (Marc Fraize) to make sure Fugain doesn’t try to escape while he’s away.

Philippe is an interesting choice to stand guard.  This is mainly because he only has one eye. Suspicious of Fugain – who’s becoming increasingly hungry since it is now well-past his usual dinner time – Philippe sets forth the idea that he may be a dangerous character who might try to kill Philippe in order to escape.  When Fugain voices his skepticism – especially because he has no access to weapons – Philippe demonstrates that Fugain might grab the triangular ruler on the Inspector’s desk to attempt to slit the officer’s throat with one of its sharp edges. Proud of being on the force, Philippe offers to show Fugain his badge; having trouble locating it, he begins scavenging about the office – but when Philippe trips, he accidentally impales himself in his remaining good eye with the ruler.  Philippe is now not just completely blind, he’s also completely dead.

Understandably, Fugain begins to panic.  When Inspector Buron returns, will he assume that Fugain murdered Philippe?  If so, will this lead the Inspector to believe that Fugain may have committed the murder that he is already investigating?  With all of this running through his mind, Fugain then proceeds to hide Philippe’s body and clean up the mess before Buron gets back.  Upon the Inspector’s reappearance, he resumes this tortuous, excruciating interrogation of Fugain, who is now considerably more nervous than before Inspector Buron left.  Once Buron notices Philippe is missing, will this cause Fugain to be charged with dual murders?

Review

The surreal, absurdist dark humor of “Keep An Eye Out” is what makes this film stand out, but the heavily stylized manner in which the story is presented causes watching the movie to be something of a chore, despite its short length (it clocks in at less than an hour and a half).  There is a scene at the start of the motion picture that is used as a device for the opening titles; while this may plant the thought in the mind of the viewer that the subsequent story will spring from this, it actually turns out to be something of a non-sequitur (ore perhaps more accurately, a comedic MacGuffin), as it is never referenced again and is otherwise irrelevant.

For those sensitive to graphic violence, it should be noted that this movie is rather sanguinary, albeit in a way that attempts to be comedic.  The scene where Phillippe accidentally stabs himself, while funny, can be a little brutal when you’re shown the result. That and a shot of a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood outside of Fugain’s apartment complex are pretty much the only bloody scenes, so if you’re able to handle that, then you should be able to watch the movie without too much trouble (except, of course, when it comes to trying to make sense of all the mayhem, but that’s another matter altogether).

As mentioned, there’s a surreal and absurdist nature to the film – you either go with it or you don’t (and if you don’t, you may be completely lost).  For one thing, why would a police department hire someone missing an eye? Also, what is a police department doing with a triangular ruler (also known as a set square), which is typically used almost exclusively by architects?  Why is Fugain having these hallucinations in his flashbacks? What is a human eye doing on the floor of the detective’s office? The answer, presumably, could be, “Because absurdism”. And for some, that may be a sufficient justification. If interested, a good piece on the nature of absurdism may be found here.    

“When Margaux Meets Margaux”– Movie Review

This past weekend, I attended another screening at The French Film Festival of The Film Society Of Lincoln Center, attending the New York Premiere of the comedy, “When Margaux Meets Margaux” (aka, “La belle et la belle”). 

Synopsis

When a young woman meets an older version of herself, will either of them benefit from this improbable encounter?

Story

Margaux (Agathe Bonitzer) is a young woman who is doing her best to enjoy life in her twenties -- she has a steady rotation of young men with whom she sleeps and always looks forward to meet other men to share such pleasures.  On the other hand, there’s also Margaux (Sandrine Kiberlain), a career woman in her forties, who never married or had children. When the mature Margaux has to leave town for a funeral, she takes the opportunity during her visit to attend a party held by a friend’s relative -- the only problem for her is that the overwhelming majority of the other guests are significantly younger.

While at the party, she happens to run into the younger Margaux; when they begin to chat, they learn that they have an incredible amount of things in common above and beyond merely their first name.  In fact, when each find out exactly how much they know about the other, it becomes downright spooky. Quite by coincidence, they wind up on a train going back to the same town. They take advantage of this by spending an inordinate amount of time together to sort everything out; once they exchange information they determine that they must be caught in some kind of rip in the space-time continuum. 

As they spend time socializing, the younger Margaux is introduced to the older Margaux’s long-time friend Mark (Melvil Poupaud) -- a former lover of hers.  Future Margaux tries to impress upon present Margaux that he is the one that got away; she made the mistake of not valuing their relationship, which is why she finds herself alone to this day.  The three go on a ski trip together where mature Margaux tries to impart a good bit of wisdom and advice to her younger version -- whether she’s receptive to it or not. During the trip, the younger woman incurs a severe head trauma as the result of a fall, resulting in amnesia.  Will this cause the “spell” to be broken when the young woman no longer remembers who Margaux is?

Review

“When Margaux Meets Margaux” is one of the truly remarkable women’s films because it touches on multiple themes within the same story:  motherhood, sisterhood, friendship, romance and of course personal life choices which you may or may not foresee yourself making in the future or past choices which you come to regret later on in life.  So many themes are not easy to balance all at once, but the filmmaker somehow manages to pull it off quite nimbly. The movie is for, about and by women; as such, it views the world through a feminine prism (young Margaux is played by Agathe Bonitzer, who is writer/director Sophie Fillières’ daughter in real life). 

As far as the performances are concerned, Bonitzer comes off as perpetually sad or angry or frustrated (which apparently is not distinctly different from her real-life persona, as evinced in the post-screening interview).  By far, however, Sandrine Kiberlain as the older Margaux stands out; the portrayal of her Margaux emanates humanity and wisdom that only comes from surviving life experiences. What is curious about watching these two women interact is that although Kiberlain is “future Margaux” and Bonitzer is “present Margaux”, they sometimes relate as big sister-little sister and at other times you feel more of a mother-daughter type of relationship. 

Following the screening, there was an interview with writer/director Sophie Fillières and the movie’s star, Fillières’ daughter Agathe Bonitzer.  Fillières said that when she began writing the screenplay, she started out with a very simple idea:  What if two women had the same name?  The longer she thought about the idea, the more she was convinced that the concept needed to be expanded:  these two women must be the same person but with a substantial age difference.  She didn’t want the story to veer off into science fiction, which is why she didn’t cast the same actress in dual roles.   

“The Trouble With You”– Movie Review

This past week, I attended the opening night of The French Film Festival at The Film Society of Lincoln Center for the New York Premiere of the comedy-drama, “The Trouble With You” (aka, “En liberté!”).

Synopsis

When the widow of a legendary police detective learns the truth about her late husband, can she correct his wrongs and get on with the rest of her life?

Story

The past few years have been difficult for Yvonne (Adèle Haenel).  A young widow, she is living under the memory of her late husband Jean (Vincent Elbaz), a captain at the local police precinct in Francemwhere she also works as a lieutenant.  Jean was hailed as a great hero and after his death while serving his community, a statue is erected in his honor.  Every night, Yvonne tells their son bedtime stories about his father’s heroics so that he will grow up to have fond memories of him.  Sadly, all of this comes to an end when Yvonne learns that Jean was a crooked cop who profited from helping to plan a jewelry store robbery which sent Antoine (Pio Marmaï), one of the jewelers, to prison.

Learning that Antoine is soon to be released, Yvonne pledges to help him integrate himself back into society and rehabilitate.  This will be tricky, however, because she doesn’t want him to know that her husband was the man who wrongly had him incarcerated.  Initially, Antoine returns to his old girlfriend, Agnes (Audrey Tautou), with the expectation that they can both pick up from where they left off.  However, it turns out that imprisonment changed Antoine – and not necessarily for the better.  With this being the case, he realizes that he and Agnes no longer have anything in common and he must now leave her. 

Soon, Yvonne discerns that one of her coworkers, Louis (Damien Bonnard), as a crush on her.  This complicates matters considerably – not only because they work together closely, but also because she has developed an attraction to Antoine after she “saved” him from what she perceived as his attempted suicide.  Alternating between Antoine and Louis, Yvonne has difficulty sorting out her feelings.  When she finds out that Antoine is now planning his own jewelry heist, Yvonne now realizes that it is her duty as a police officer to prevent this crime.  But will she be able to stop Antoine from robbing the jewelry store and in so doing, turn the corner and get over her thoughts of Jean?

Review

The trouble with “The Trouble With You” is its outlandish premise.  As we know well, the French are different from the rest of us. That can be great.  Vive la France! Problems arise, however, when we find that their perspectives clash with our own and it becomes difficult to stay with a given story or cast of characters.   Such is the case with this movie. French films embrace romance and sex (note that the two have been separated), which can be titillating. But sometimes, as in the case with “The Trouble With You”, it can take matters too far and render the tale a bit on the ridiculous side. 

There is no doubt that this movie contains funny moments.  But Yvonne, our heroine, can present a bit of a challenge to root for at times -- largely due to the fact that she is so flighty.  She cannot make up her mind as to whether she wants Louis, Antoine or no one at all since she has been so turned off to Jean. Which one is she in love with?  It doesn’t appear Yvonne even knows, that’s how mixed up she is at this point in her life. At times, the film is charming and amusing, but it can also be a bit grating, too -- this is especially true when trying to resolve the story and things take a turn for the madcap and slapstick. 

Whether you like “The Trouble With You”, hate it or simply leaves you feeling nonplussed, what just about everyone could agree on is that it’s strange.  At this screening, the movie was introduced by director Pierre Salvadori and one of its stars, Pio Marmaï (Antoine). During the introduction, Salvadori shared his experience from the previous screening.  While waiting in line in the men’s room, he overheard two guys talking about his motion picture. “So, what did you think?’, the first one asked; the second responded, “It’s unusual”. The director decided to take that as a favorable review.