Un coeur en hiver

Un Coeur En Hiver is a deeply moving film. Beart's achingly beautiful performance as a violinist who becomes infatuated with an emotionally stunted craftsman, is breathtaking to behold. The craftsman, played by Auteuil, displays an almost unbelievable emptiness of emotion, as he rejects the "unrejectable" Camile(Beart)! The soundtrack of this movie conveys as much emotion as the lead characters do, and is hauntingly beautiful to the ear. This movie is a must for Beart fans! Just seeing those beautiful intense eyes is reason enough to view this film.

No-one can portray emotion in cinema as well as the French, as this movie proves. Auteil is wonderful as the stoic and enigmatic central figure, a man of few words and even fewer facial expressions who is both fascinating and exasperating. Emmanuel Beart is surely one of the most beautiful figures to grace the screen; her eyes say all the things her words fail to. One of the many qualities to admire in this film is that what the characters do not say is more important that what they do, and rather than being vague and ambiguous, which is a polite way of often saying muddled and obscure in movies, everything is confidently conveyed through expressions and actions. This is a film that knows exactly how much to say and what about. There are some brilliantly subtle clues to Auteil's character. "Have you ever been in love?" Beart asks."probably," he replies and nothing more is said. yet despite it's casual nature we remember that comment and without any more help we conclude that this may be the real reason for his isolation now, a desperate attempt at self-preservation. The music is brilliantly chosen, and the camera draws things out of the frame naturally...Auteil touching Beart for the first time when crossing the road, the wonderful coffee shop scene, that slap from Maxim. There is also some excellent humour, especially in the argument between the old couple Auteil witnesses from outside their house. It is interesting to compare this film with Three Colours: Blue which I saw the same evening, a more explicit depiction of isolation, equally powerful through different methods.

I think it is an engaging and thoughtful movie - the kind that you keep thinking about, long after you have finished watching.

The plot deals with the central character's coldness in relationships with people around him. He is definitely gifted in what he does. He is sincere and hardworking. People around him tend to be friendly and caring. But it seems our guy has some intimacy issues – he can't go beyond a certain level.

I am not really sure as to what message did the movie want to convey. It can't just be - if you are cold in nature, you are a loser. I don't think Stéphane was cold by choice – he couldn't just change his nature so as to make others happy. I found it odd that a person of such nature would speak with frankness and openness about these issues – the way Stéphane tells Camille in the restaurant. His friendship with Hélène also seems unexplained - what was the basis – did they expect it to go further?

What struck as peculiar was attention given to details on mundane activities - like the craftsmanship involved in making musical instruments or dealing with the restaurant manager. In some ways, these elements helped in keeping one occupied and expectant of things to come.

Daniel Auteuil's portrayal of Stéphane was very natural. Always immaculately dressed, the way he interacted, sometimes with a smirk on his face - it made you empathize with his character. Also at times you felt like saying - what's wrong with this guy? – probably the kind of response director would have wanted to evoke from the audience. Emmanuelle Béart has acted brilliantly and looks amazingly beautiful. André Dussollier also put in a strong performance in his portrayal of Maxime.

Dialogues are thoughtful - but at times their gravity made you feel that these are not the most natural of conversations. Cinematography is splendid – with close shots of characters and focus on eye and facial expressions.

A visually-beautiful film. Even if the plot were not good (but it is) it would still be worth seeing for its good-looks.

Beart (Camille) is magnificent! When I first saw the film I thought she was a real violinist, so convincing was her 'playing'. She and Auteuil (Stephane) employ that subtle 'facial' acting, so popular in French cinema. As both their faces are quite lovely, this is a pleasure to watch. Is Beart the most beautiful woman on screen? Probably.

This movie is like a dream sometimes. It gives clues to the riddles of the characters, but does not reveal their essences. Sometimes you have to wonder if the story is really a kind of allegory, with the characters as symbols, their full significance yet to be revealed.

Look out for what appears to be an important scene featuring Stephane's parents, towards the end of the film. It is not obviously enlightening, but it may prove to hold the key to his love-less character. There is a climax to the story, but no real resolution or explanation. Yes, it's the 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' unresolved-ending phenomenon back with a vengeance. And how much more interesting it makes this intriguing story!

Oh - and the music is a substantial part of the film - not just 'background', which is a good thing.

I read that Claude Sautet inspired himself in the Pechorin's Diaries, a part of Mikhael Lermontov's "A Hero Of Our Time". In Phoenix Cinema blog: "For those interested–to understand Stephan's character, read Lermontov's novel A Hero of Our Time. (The novel is even mentioned in the film.) Stephan is a modern-day version of Pechorin." Now Pechorin is a complex Byronesque character that has ambiguous but plausible reasons for his apparent "winter" heart. He is a formidable character in Russian literature (like Oneguine, for instance) and the paradox of his coldness is enough to make a film director/screen writer wanting to start something. This tip should be taken into account before engaging in more audacious explanations for the character of Stéphane.