Gabrielle

Gabrielle
Patrice Chéreau :: France, Italy :: 2004 :: 1h30

Within the comfortable Parisian walls of society dinners and lounge evenings, a couple reaches their breaking point. It seems as if they have never discussed their love before, and are both astounded by what they are confronted with, a reality other than the closely knit leisure life they had become so used to. With the always intriguing Isabelle Humbert in the leading role, the adaptation of Conrad's novel shows occasional picture-perfect scenes, mixed with the some black and white and silent film era references. Surprisingly enough, it is hard to understand the motivations and frustrations of the protagonists in their idealized world, leaving you somewhat removed from what is clearly intended to be a very intimate portrait.