Die Frau im Mond

Another bright movie from Marillon Cotillard, the very talented French actress who shines in other ways in this limited, averagely deep production. Everything is on point in a simple, semi-impactful and mysterious way. The beginning was well developed alongside the middle, just the end and what precede it was a little average, hurting the production in a minimal to the sense way.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 7
• Production value/impact: 7
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 7
• Entertainment: 7
• Acting: 8
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8
• VFX: 8
• Music/score/sound: 7
• Depth: 7
• Logic: 6
• Flow: 7.5
• Drama/romance: 6.5
• Ending: 6.

I was waiting for this movie after I have watched "Youth" of Paolo Sorentino. The reason is quite simple from the first glance and extremely marvelous from my point of view. First time in my life, I am still with Youth, I realized what is the pure beauty of the nature….

Thus, what I found out that in the same location "Mal de pierres" was shout I was expecting to indulge once again into fascinating scenery of nature. And of course, I was expecting the other background - provided by the movie and the plot.

I would divide movie into three parts: part 1 - boring & typical, part 2 - natural eye opening and part 3: reasonable

The plot is exactly what is said about the movie on any poster: she does not love, he (looks like) loves, she is becoming crazy and mad in the naive searches of love from the book. And this is basically the first part of mine.

My second part starts with the trip to Schatzalp in Davos. At the end of the first part an idea stroke my mind - what if the movie is not about she and her sufferings of loving not the right people?.....My second part is the most beautiful - breathtaking views of Swiss Alps, love story of the main she male character - an affair with young lieutenant (by the way perfectly chosen youth + war - for sure must be inspired by Thomas Mann's "Der Zauberberg").

My third part - leaving Alps and coming back to humdrum reality and again waiting for a love. Same stupid, naive love from the novels… Beautifully playing actors, beautiful need and the search for the real love and even after realizing that this love can be nearby - may be not even love but "near & dear". Maybe we can call it to to grow up & become a woman ...finally.

But in my opinion, the main idea as well as the main character is not Gabriel. What if the key to decipher the movie lays in undistinguished Jose? Do you remember his sight at the beginning of the movie? I guess this is the sight of the man willing to die for his love…

In my opinion, the movie is about Jose and his love, about the man who sacrificed his life and was withstanding all the "whims" and finally received hope for love. I would call it "the silent fight" for the love.

Coming back to the movie, the film is nice and beautiful, but in some moments a bit boring and lacks some expression and deepness. But for sure, I personally received what I was expecting and definitely it is one of the best recent movies so far.

I absolutely loved this film, French films are masters at this type of art. The longing for love the unknown forbidden fruit. Not wanting it yet finding it out of the blue, again metaphorical substances, her pain is real, the stone in her body is real, not attention seeking as her mother would say. Just as painful as her yearning for love, to be loved, to give love, naive, curious... The parents strict in many ways we do not know as to what she went through as a young child, but it forms and shapes her womanhood. Her mind in turmoil, visions, fantasies that are alive as daylight. Twists and turns in the film that left me totally glued as to what is going on with this creature, this beauty, these consequences that are occurring all the time, her loveless marriage, her son... It's the passion of love, lasting a mere moment in a lifetime, and ending so abruptly. To reconcile with herself, in the end finding who she is, finding her inner peace...she is in reality a part of most of mankind.

I watched this at home on DVD from my local library. My wife skipped, she doesn't enjoy reading subtitles. It is mostly in French and I watched it with English subtitles.

I got the movie mainly because it features Marion Cotillard. She is a lovely lady and one of the best actresses of the current generation.

Here she is Gabrielle, part of a farming family in France that includes her dad and mom, plus a younger sister. We see that she was difficult growing up, what some may call "mean." And also fixated on nudity and sex. Looking like she might never marry, her parents made a deal with one of the workers, a Mr. Rabascal, if he would marry her then they would help set him up with his own masonry business. He agrees, Gabrielle eventually goes along, but she tells him directly that she will never love him and they will not have husband-wife relations. In her magnanimity she tells him she doesn't mind if he goes into the city to hire a prostitute.

I will not say much more except to say it is mainly a character study of Gabrielle, how she deals with her difficult personality, in the end trying to achieve some happiness with her husband and son who has a gift for playing the piano.

Marion Cotillard is superb.

I will be honest, I did see this film because it is directed by Nicole Garcia, one outstanding female French director, the best I guess. She has a very sensitive way of filming. So, I did go to see this film without hesitating. And of course I don't regret it at all. Marion Cotillard, whom I don't particularly appreciate, is at her best here. Although I don't crave for her, she is a damn good actress, but sorry, I felt a little emptiness here, I don't really know where. Something missed somewhere. The actors and actresses around her are flawless, but I persist on my opinion. I don't think that's a matter of directing. Not with Nicole Garcia. Maybe because this kind of scheme has already been told a hundred times before.

But it remains a good film.