Avril

Avril
Gérald Hustache-Mathieu :: France :: 2006 :: 1h36

A young orphan finds herself in the tranquility of a secluded monastery, till the day that she is invited to join the order as a nun. One of her ’sisters’ tells her she has a brother, and helps her with a two week secretive leave so that she can find him. In the outside world she tracks him down, discovering she has a family, life and love.

If the story sounds like sweetness wrapped in sugar, then you have made your first step into understanding this debut feature-length movie by Hustache-Mathieu. The movie is as naïve and pretty as it is simple and just. It manages to avoid being tedious thanks to a talented young cast, but will be mostly forgotten because of its lack of depth, intrigue or development. Is best served with a box of chocolates on a couch, for those who indulge in the likes.

Dikkenek

Dikkenek
Olivier van Hoofstadt :: Belgium :: 2006 :: 1h24

Dirty male characters who shout and fight and pretty girls who drink and kiss, in a trashy world of money of scum. A not-for-everybody cult-ish movie which flirts with originality and vulgarity, in a luke warm soup which keeps the pace despite being little more than a sequence of sketches. For people who can live with Poelvoorde-type returns in an unappealing setting, where anything goes. Requires a very specific sense of humor and a high tolerance level to be able to fish out the good parts -if you consider the old boot worthwhile- out of this fluid guck.

www.dikkenek.com

Changement d'adresse

Changement d'adresse
Emmanuel Mouret :: France :: 2006 : 1h25

Young musician David arrives in Paris, and needing a place to live, he meets Anne who is looking for a room mate. The clumsy, accommodating and naive David and the similarly disposed bighearted Anne become friends, supporting each other in their respective quests for love, but the burning question of course is whether or not they will find it right before them. Their flirtatious, supportive relationship can clearly swing both ways.

David is played by Marseille's Mr Mouret himself, stepping out of the shadows of the directors-chair and into the spotlight. There are some of the same themes as in Venus et Fleur, his previous movie, with the uncomfortable scenes which come forth from our sentimental lives, but with this time round it is more sophisticated. In what sense? Humor. Changement d'adresse is very funny. A combination of word-play, absurdity and clumsiness make for a great one and a half hours of entertainment, pushing the buttons of inevitability and lightness in amorous affairs. Highly recommended.

www.changementdadresse-lefilm.com

Paris je t'aime

Paris je t'aime
20 directors :: France :: 2006 :: 1h50

18 directors, from France and elsewhere, each dedicate 5 minutes of film to the theme of Love in one neighborhood of Paris each. With not only some top directors but also an impressive (similarly international) cast, we are presented with a panoply of micro tales on our so cherished 100 km2. A wonderful cinematographic Symposium theme, which works out somewhat curiously. Most contemporary cinema goers will not be used to watching short films, even if they have been loosely harmonized, and puts some strain on the viewers to get into the characters at TGV speed. None the less, the concept works out more of less well.

There is quite some variety in the type of films shown, from a funny vampire type love story (Vincenzo Natali) to a bitter sweet reflective story (Alexander Payne), and from a clownesque subway scene (Coen brothers) to a the dramatic dealing with loss (Nobuhiro Suwa). But as a whole, despite the international list of film-makers (including some top directors), half the time we seem to be watching Americans in Paris, which makes the city a postcard studio backdrop, against the intention of the film. An unfortunate consequence of the project, which leaves a feeling of disorientation. The movie is neither French, nor is it from anywhere specific, which brings about this cultural schizophrenia. Loving Paris is not about 'backdrops', but about people and French culture. Since that is lacking, we must take the movie as 'Loving in Paris', where the capital plays a strictly aesthetic background role. Mostly pleasant, but actually not good enough within the context of the project.

www.parisjetaime-lefilm.com

On va s'aimer

On va s'aimer
Ivan Calbérac :: France :: 2005 :: 1h37

Two couples of thirty-somethings with -by cinema standards- customary middle-class professions deal with love and infidelity. Succumbing to desire as an escape from the self-induced monotony of daily life is hardly an original theme for a movie, and here it is exposed with almost painful simplicity. To top up the embedded mediocrity, we are treated with unappealing musical interludes sung by actors who can not sing. (Who is that supposed to amuse?) Mr Calbérac dealt with a similar theme in his first movie Iréne, but with a certain lightness and comedy he entertained the audience away from his otherwise over-simplicified reality and lack of insight. But the only humorous scene you will find has been ripped off from an Australian beer commercial, and the last thought-over shot was the poster at the entrance.

But to dedicate a few words to a wasted hour and a half of viewing: The weak characters -and their singing- are contrasted with a beautiful but unavailable Stringfellows dancer half way through the film, prompting, as any perfection does, the character into contemplation and action. If the director understands that his character is motivated by perfection, then why is the audience not treated to some? What is our expected gain? And even if you want to emphasize blandness in conversation, action and singing, how can we believe that the charming Melanie Doutey -even in this naive role- is so common? It would have made more sense to choose another actress or adjust her role to a chronically ill-tempered character. Of course, pointing out flaws is close to futile in a school-play type production of a script which would have been funnier and more insightful had the (in principle good) actors just improvised their way through.

So we are left with normal people (read here: weak and uninteresting) leading normal lives, but ruffling that dullness up with a little promiscuity, which is portrayed as equally devoid of interest. The moral must be -following Mr Onteniente's Camping- that we can content ourselves through recognition with other dull-witted characters. Besides being an insult to the audience, this takes us far from the entertaining French tradition of creative dialogues and word-game humor, or the arts as a source of inspiration. Although still hoping that we are not witnessing the birth of a contemporary Nouvelle Vague of French cinema like this, I will baptize the trend nonetheless as the Flat Ripple. If we remember that the dot com bubble prompted a Nerd-acceptation wave in cinema, we can get seriously worried about what this is saying about our current Zeitgeest, as the Flat Ripple defends the bourgeois bland. As for Mr Calbérac, if his movies are inspired by his life, he would do well to get out a little more and make some new friends - even misanthropists' can boast of an, albeit cynical, sense of humor, if they are willing to talk to you...

http://tfmdistribution.fr/onvasaimer

Dans la peau de Jacques Chirac

Dans la peau de Jacques Chirac
Michel Royer, Karl Zéro :: France :: 2005 :: 1h30

Satirical archive portrait of Jacques Chirac's political career, hopping from his time as major of Paris, to prime minister to president. Commented footage from the last 40 years or so, where the voice-over plays the role of the thoughts of Jacques Chirac, as a cynical couch self-analysis of his first-of-the-class thirst for power.

At the first glance, it looks like a film constructed by someone who spends too much time in the cellar of TF1 or some other TV station, and at the second glance, that he did not spend enough time there. There are some wonderful photographical moments of him interacting with others, as of course there would be with a career spanning the decades, but the incompleteness is just as striking. A movie, which is sold as such, can be expected to require a little more work than just sailing on the archival property of a public figure. The depth of analysis is done with the level we have come to expect from TV journalism, selecting a target and not looking much further, but does that justify a movie? If we crawl 'under the skin' of Jacques Chirac, could we not expect some completeness of the portrait? The French press developed a tradition of wetting the appetite of the public but never delivering, which keeps the public buying their papers and tuning in, because they want to know, be informed, but are mostly deceived. Cinema, even satirical, is mostly been spared of this consumerist cycle, as it should be. On the overlap of the tug-of-war between entertainment and art, cinema -contrary to the French press- is expensive, and should deliver to match.

At the heart of this portrait, we find that same journalistic core: incomplete, easy and a little bland. But all that being said, the movie is funny and it is pleasant to pass some time in the archives, but it should be aired with the rest of its kind - on television.

www.danslapeaudejacqueschirac.com

Conversation(s) avec une Femme

Conversations with other women
Hans Canosa :: USA :: 2006 :: 1h25

A man moves up to a woman at a wedding we don’t really see with two glasses of Champagne and attempts to seduce her. She’s the out-of-town seventh bridesmaid replacement, he’s the older bachelor brother of the bride and both somewhat cynical and melancholic. As the night progresses, their relationship - present, past and future - unfolds through a series of interconnecting word games and half-hidden flashbacks.

The curious difference between the French release title and the US title baffle me. Neither seem appropriate for a what is in essence a dialogue. If the viewer is supposed to take on the role of the male following his conversation with Her, then why the split screen tactic, which allows us to follow them both intimately? And why, in the US title, should there be ‘other women’, when it is clearly an affair of two people? But never mind that, maybe you can figure that one out.

It would be a shame to divulge more of the story, as not only is the movie worth watching, but also it rests very heavily on the dialogues, despite all the complicated photographic effort which clearly went into the production. A little crudely made, with Carla Bruni’s voice flatly laid over the film, the at times imperfection of the script and the obsessional split screen which leaves you feeling like you missed out parts of the film despite being there. But, none the less, a captivating melancholic theatrical emotional adventure which strikes the right chords. Make sure you are in the right mood not to spoil what is actually a little gem of a film.

www.mk2.com/conversationsavecunefemme

The Road to Guantanamo

The Road to Guantanamo
Michael Winterbottom :: UK :: 2005 :: 1h35

Four Englishmen set off to Pakistan for the marriage of one of them, when they decide to continue on to Afghanistan at the onset of the US military action there. They get arrested, sent to a prison, then to the Guantanamo Bay prison, and only 2.5 years later return home to the UK. This dramatized documentary retraces the recent history of the gross misconduct by the (mostly to blame) US government, known in the press as the Tipton Three (the fourth was ‘lost’ in Afghanistan). The intention of the film is to bring home the message, if it was not clear enough already, that the US military conduct is completely unacceptable on the issue of arrests and interrogations (torture is used and there is no access to lawyers, neither are they charged with anything).

One of the burning questions, even after having watched the film, is why did they go to Afghanistan? Their detention and endless interrogation fired this question at them, and, as a viewer, you can not help but wonder the same thing. Of course, it does not change the criticism of the immoral conduct towards them (they should have been charged and sentenced/ acquitted), but surely the movie should have answered this. Their story is well known and torture is not difficult to imagine -we can do without the images- so why not tackle the question at its core? The title suggests just that. They were not saints, but that has nothing to do with arbitrary arrest and detention. If the movie is to show their side of the story, surely we could expect more than the press coverage we have already had?

On the more technical side, the movie is not particularly well made, and looks more like it was intended for television than cinema. But it is difficult to speak negatively of any brave attempt to combat injustice, and I hope it contributes to all the other efforts done in the US, Europe and elsewhere to bring an end to this inhumane story.

(At the time of writing, people are still being held without charge by the US military under unacceptable conditions.)

www.roadtoguantanamomovie.com

Marie-Antoinette

Marie-Antoinette
Sofia Coppola :: USA :: 2005 :: 2h03

From the Royal court of Vienna to Versailles, Marie-Antoinette is whisked off to France to wed the young heir to the throne Louis Auguste. Their marriage brings them closer together slowly, despite their young age, as they try to take on the role which was bequeathed to them. The movie introduces itself as a pink-punk-rock-and-roll-type of 70s decadent movie, so comparisons with the exciting and difficult life of the real Marie-Antoinette are misplaced. Judging the movie on its merits as a decadent 70s style picture was no doubt to ease us into the casual drug use and Marie-Antoinette watching the run rise with a glass of Champagne, eating inordinate amounts of sugary foods. Yes, that is as exciting as it gets. It is a curious choice to toy with Versailles and French history as the wall paper to a coming of age drama which would have been better suited in some standard suburban spoilt backdrop, after all the movie does not raise above that level. But besides the sugary indulgence - what about matters of the heart and sexuality? The young girl falls in love once fleetingly in all the years which pass. Other than that aesthetic attraction, we are expected to believe this pious partying girl has no particular interest in others, neither romantically nor capable of friendship, hardly a coming of age. She’s shown with friends, but the troubles of friendships, especially important at the court, are not worked out, nor intimate.

Partly because of that fault, her coming of age does not develop, neither is the ending understandable - the role of the aristocracy is practically cut out of the tale. The gossip environment, so important in the lives of the young (it can break you) is amateurishly portrayed as silly remarks in the background noise. Because of the superficial adolescent treatment, the whole story looks like a dress-up party, with a well intentioned Marie-Antoinette in the middle.

Parallels with ‘Lost in Translation’ are not hard to find, the suicidal boredom of watching spoilt characters wasting their time, mixed with a few meaningful looks here and there which are supposed to add depth. Ideally, if watched on video, switch off the superfluous sound - you’ll miss out on some good music, but be thankful for skipping over the dialogues. The gardens and extravagant salons of Versailles as well as the beautiful Parisian Opera Garnier are endlessly shown, so you will not even have to press repeat on your DVD player. Perhaps you will find it a pleasant moving image while you’re cooking, some sweet toothed desert, of course.

www.marieantoinette-lefilm.com