Impardonnables

I rented this movie because I have loved every movie by André Téchiné I've ever seen, and I've seen most of them. After I had received the DVD in the mail but right before I watched it (Thank God!) I read several online reviews warning that it contains an appalling depiction of cruelty to an animal - a dog, evidently. I wish I had seen those reviews before I put this movie in my DVD queue; I'm just very grateful that I read them before watching it.

ALL animal cruelty depicted in a movie is gratuitous and inexcusable, by the way, and it doesn't matter AT ALL whether the abuse is real or simulated. Whether the animal hurt was alive or a very well-crafted prop doesn't matter to me as a viewer, although those who do hurt real animals for entertainment - and movies are entertainment - deserve to have the same things done to them (and, thank God, again, that's exactly what will happen eventually).

Shame on André Téchiné! What he did here is what's Unforgivable. He is one of the greatest modern movie directors, but after this he's off my list forever. Although I just got the DVD, and it's sitting in the player right now, I'll send it back to the rental company unwatched. By an act of superhuman will I am not going to crack the DVD first, but I sure would like to.

I have never before written a review of a movie I didn't see or a product I didn't use. I ordinarily disapprove strongly of reviewers who do such things, but this is not an ordinary situation. My personal experience with the movie is less important than spreading the word of the abuse it contains in any way I can.

I sincerely thank those earlier reviewers who published the warning, and I now pass it on to the next generation of movie-lovers who are considering this movie and care about animals. If those earlier reviewers were lying, if they have induced me to disparage this movie unfairly, I regret that, but it's a risk I'm willing to take for the sake of the animals and others who genuinely (and not just glibly to make themselves sound good) love animals.

To those of you who despise people like me, I say: I couldn't care less what you think. I didn't write this review for you.

It took months (and numerous requests) but netflix finally put English subtitles on this movie. Worth the wait, this is an entertaining film (is there a bad one shot in Venice), with an excellent cast. They make it out to be a much larger age difference in the movie, but Bouquet and Dussolier are in fact only twelve years apart. He just looks much older, as Carole Bouquet is youthful and extremely attractive for her age... bit.ly/1jSPox2 .. Is it a stretch such a good looking woman would so desperately choose and want to be with him? You'll have judge that for yourself... European sensibilities and being in love making it a distinct possibility.

Oh goody: more neurotic people to watch ruin their lives and those around them. I love foreign films as they depict other views but this one left a lot to be desired.

The adorable dog being slammed against a wall to kill it was especially brutal. I'm sure the male who wrote this into the script is a brutal, evil person. Isn't there enough violence around us? Do we really have to call it entertainment?

The scenes of boating and Italy's waterfronts were interesting. The soft light in some of the scenes seemed kissed by the sun. But be forewarned: your time would be better spent taking a two hour nap.

For forty years now, Andre Techine has made films that have delighted me (Les roseaux sauvages, Les voleurs) or annoyed me (Le lieu du crime, Rendez-vous). He seems to be on safe ground when he deals with homosexuality, the need for family ties, and beautiful surroundings (here he can film Venice in all its splendour). He flounders when dealing with straight relationships: what is going on between Dussolier and Bouquet, anyway?-- they seem to be in different films.

Carole Bouquet is so splendid to look at that I can forgive almost any deficiency in the script in order to drink in that lovely face. Adriana Asti (Gina in Before the Revolution, the film that moved me more than any other) has the best line: "You turn everybody on but nobody turns you on!" It's so true, you admit ruefully. Melanie Thierry has a small part as Dussolier's daughter and leaves a good impression.

This movie is about love relations with voyeurism. Husband and wife, daughter and father have no other aim than the blunt show of their sexual ineptitude going adrift. Add to this that the other themes are about hopelessness and dissatisfaction, disrespect and bad communication, etc... This is boring, just a bad idea, bad ideas. Venice is great, nevertheless, as a character in itself, beside that the actors are great too. Bad time spent watching this even if Dussolier plays perfectly the sad father and husband, hiding feelings with bitterness so well, but Sorry All the other movies of André Techiné are better than this one.