Un 32 août sur terre

I watched this movie wondering if I wasn't watching a sort of Seinfeldian version of movie-making - that is, "a show about nothing."

It dawned on me after watching this movie that this is basically what I saw - a big bunch of nothingness. And yet the story was beautiful and disturbing and depressing and inspiring, and ultimately poetic... I guess that's what they mean by "atmospheric" as used in describing a film.

The cinematography was superb - the part where the two lead characters ended up in the Utah salt desert was just so awesome. The acting was seamless, though I was handicapped by seeing it with English subtitles: since I don't know French, I fear that a good bit of the emotive force of the story, as told through the dialogue, was lost on me.

Anyway, I am so glad I taped this off of late night Canadian television, I definitely plan to watch it again. It's a movie you not so much "look" at, but "feel". Watch it, feel it... you'll see.

I enjoy chronologically moving up the filmographies of directors I admire. I watched this about 5 or 6 years ago (when I was 17) and didn't think too much of it then but watched it again on a whim now and I feel as if certainly grown in the meantime to appreciate more than the boring superficialities I had unconciously learned through so many years of popular media consumption. I now change my rating from 5 to 9 stars, because for me, now, the definition of a good film is this magical creation of a mood and atmosphere where you can occupy the space with the characters. The story doesn't always matter. You crash your car, perhaps you die, perhaps you go into a coma or perhaps you really break your window and escape from your car, there's no telling. Perhaps it's all a dream and why not since it's August 32nd from the time after the crash (well at least until it's suddenly 5th september after 36th August sometime near the end of the film; could that be a hint towards a reality?). Who knows, really? Charred body of a stranger in the desert, a swindler cabbie who cheats you and gives you a nosebleed (just like when you got a nosebleed sometime after your crash) and more evil men who randomly drive up to people and beat them to coma in the middle of the night...it's certainly a strange and difficult world. A vast and white desert, a claustrophobic and white room for the night, will the characters ever mate with each other? Did anyone else notice how the shot of the cab driving into the road leading to the white desert had this very phallic imagery? Hah not sure how much I'm reading into it. The strange nature of these observations and hints dropped throughout the film will resurface later in Villeneuve's Enemy (which is brilliant imo). There is a quiet, realistic humour throughout which is mostly missing from Villeneuve's other works but works well here to sustain the "mood". It's a film about nothing which "hints" towards a "something". Perhaps the hint is based on nothing really...perhaps the director himself does not know...it doesn't matter. Would recommend, it's always good to watch stuff which makes you think...even about nothing.

This film is a delignt! Pascale Bussières is, as always, seductive and enchanting. Alexis Martin is touching and funny. I hope a translation in English will bring out the subtle humor of Simone (Pascale Bussières)and her friend (Alexis Martin). Just for the love letter and the scene of Alexis in a Japanese-like room mimicing weightlessness, this film is a must! All about the problems of the X generation, "Un 32 août sur terre" also offers a broad reflection on sex relations and the meaning of life. The scenes in Salt Lake City are superb. The plot ? A woman crashes with her car in the night, her whole life will be upset. See the rest !

Not too shabby for a debut feature, August 32nd on Earth brings its whacky premise to cinematic life in a simple, amusing fashion, and is a well crafted, wonderfully photographed & finely performed dramedy that commences Denis Villeneuve's filmmaking journey on a promising note, if not a memorable one.

I'm here just to say it's qualified to be among the best ones, deserves watching more than once,and the director is very promising, for it's his debut.

The reality is so ridiculous and unreasonable, we have to accept it as it is.Fortunately, we still have love to warm us and protect us from the coldness and cruelty.

which needs to be added,the leading actress Pascale is nearly perfect,I also got a glimpse of her in Five Senses.I hope I can see her in When Night is Falling someday.