Le vent tourne

Generally praised to the skies by the chic TV magazines "Le Vent Tourne" is actually a confusing work.At its best, these images have a soaring transcendence when they depict the fixed windpump in the wonderful landscapes of Switzerland,superbly filmed;at worst it descends towards the banalities of the extra-marital love affair,with the obligatory sex scenes .

It's a sprawling affair which may be in turn fascinating or boring;too many subjects are treated at the same time: Galina the girl sent from her native Russia to recuperate in the pure air of Swiss mountain after Tchernobyl, pollution and new energy sources, the breeder mistrusting his sister-in-law who happens to be the local vet and her treatments , the engineer who (what a coincidence!)is fluent in Russian,and with whom his wife falls in love .

The film begins with a poem by Rebecca Wood which the story (more or less) illustrates : life can be a long quiet peaceful river (the breeder) or things have to be destroyed (or ruined ) to re-build a brand new world (the feminist side personified by Melanie Thierry's character.)

Mostly in French ,the movie also uses Russian and English ,which shows respect for the audience .As for the characters' motives, it is not always convincing, and Galina ,played by a Russian girl,seems to play second fiddle.

My feelings are mixed.