Vue sur mer

Greetings again from the darkness. As a devotee and lover of the cinematic art form, I tend to focus on the positive elements of films, and maintain a near reverent respect for filmmakers who engage in personal projects. Because of this, I typically avoid labels such as "bad" or "good" and instead focus on the experience. Unfortunately, this latest from writer/director Angelina Jolie (billed for the first time as Angelina Jolie Pitt) has delivered a prolonged experience of monotony and misery that can only be described as bad. Or awful. Or even beyond awful.

It's based in the mid-1970's and filmed on the island of Gozo in Malta. The setting is stunningly beautiful, and cinematographer Christian Berger captures the essence of this unique spot with naturalistic lighting and plenty of wide shots of the rocky beaches that provide the foundation for a classy and quaint inn run by Michel (Niels Arestrup, A Prophet). Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Angelina Jolie) are the epitome of an unhappily married couple … though they are stylishly dressed while driving their 1967 Citroen convertible.

He is a writer who doesn't write and she is a former dancer who doesn't dance. While he is not writing, Roland sucks down gin, beer and anything else Michel will serve him. Vanessa mostly hangs out in the room popping pills and watching a fisherman in a row boat. When they are together, they rarely speak except to ensure we viewers understand just how miserable they are … with a lousy reason that isn't explained until late in the film. Mostly she bats her porn star fake eye lashes while he sports a porn star mustache.

A glimmer of hope emerges when a honeymooning couple takes the room next door. Lea (Melanie Laurent) and Francois (Melvil Poupaud) seem quite happy and enjoy spending time together in bed. We know this because Vanessa discovers a peephole where she can take in the sights. In what is probably the only interesting twist, Lea and Roland are soon sharing peeps … a step that somehow begins the process of rebuilding their relationship. Of course, that doesn't happen without many more scenes of misery prior to the quite predictable finish.

Angelina is clearly paying tribute to the 1950's and 1960's French art-house films, but having two unlikable lead characters who can't stand to be in the same room never allows the viewers to connect … though she seizes many opportunities to show off her exquisitely rebuilt breasts. The film is entirely too long – and feels even longer – as it squanders a real chance to explore the second stage of marriage. The beautiful scenery and Gainsbourg songs don't come close to making this a movie worth enduring.

I could be one of the few to actually not only like but LOVE this film. The movie conveyed a simple common plot that encounters many couples but it conveyed through the most beautiful cinematography and magnificent scenery which in a way reflected the movie's aspects. I was instantly in love with the film's aesthetic and colors that grabbed by instant attention once the film rolled it opening credits. We rarely find nowadays films that carry such a simple issue told gradually through dramatic and grieving episodes provided from the characters which kept us on edge. And what made me think that this movie can be considered a one of a kind is the way the story was told. I love how they didn't hand out the the reason of the couple's misery right way but instead told us in pieces and eventually spilling the beans at they very end. Overall, the movie was absolutely beautiful with the most amazing breathtaking scenery and color. Not to mention the wonderful dramatic thrilling acting of Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt that depicted the intense misery of the couple.

Located in a remote resort in France (but shot on Gozo in Malta), this story is located in the 1970s, so no computers or smartphones and lots of smoking and drinking plus a veteran sport car.

The focus is almost exclusively on a married couple who clearly have a very strained relationship for a reason which is only explained - and then too briefly - at the very end. The pacing is languid, even soporific, and there is only one person to blame: Angelina Jolie who wrote, directed and stars as an unsympathetic character.

Her co-star as husband is her real-life partner at the time Brad Pitt. Sadly this film seems prophetic since Jolie and Pitt split up soon afterwards and both the movie and its afterward seem to echo "Eyes Wide Shut" with then husband and wife Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

I won't say what everyone else has said about this film. What I will say is that it was a beautiful portrayal of some of the darker emotions in life.

Maybe others hate to see their own loneliness on screen, by two actors they've deemed unworthy before they've even watched it, or they have never experienced themselves the emotions portrayed in this film.

Melancholia is the last film I can remember portraying depression accurately. This film is the same, though it's not as simple as, she has depression or she is lonely. Her character was real to me and Angelina portrayed her well.

If you've ever met someone and loved them more than they love themselves and despite their own thoughts of themselves then maybe you will feel something when you watch this. If not, there are plenty more films out there for you that require a lot less emotional range.

In the 70's, writer Roland (Brad Pitt) and former dancer Vanessa (Angelina Jolie) are in a tired marriage. They hope to rekindle their relationship and his writing in a small seaside town in the south of France. She finds a peep hole and obsesses over their next door neighbor especially Léa (Mélanie Laurent).

Angelina Jolie continues to try to be a real filmmaker. She seems competent as a director. I don't see any outstanding style but her work is functional. The acting is tired although that's their characters. Her depression needs to be over-dramatized. When depression is depressed, it's depressing to watch. That's mostly in the writing and I don't think Jolie is a good writer. She may have fair concepts but her dialogue does not sing. The flow is stuck in mud. The plot could have gone somewhere compelling. She needs to collaborate with a better writer who could help her work. This has potential but Jolie lacks the skills to exploit.