Les Proies

In Civil War Virginia, wounded Union soldier McBurney (Colin Farrell) seeks shelter in the plantation house of Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman) who runs a school for young women. The war has reduced the student body to a handful of young girls and teenagers, and only one remaining teacher, Edwina (Kirsten Dunst). Vowing to nurse the injured man back to health before turning him in to the Confederate authorities, Miss Martha and the other girls all become enamored of the handsome soldier, with dire consequences.

Director Sofia Coppola seems to be striving for a Barry Lyndon-esque natural light look, with no artificial lighting used at all, resulting in lots of gloomy and shadows during the evening scenes. The sound design also goes for an antiquated natural quiet, with the sounds of crickets and wind moving through the trees dominating, adding to a sleepy, dreamy atmosphere. The performers are all fine, and I even thought Farrell fit the manipulative soldier role better than Clint Eastwood did in the previous film. The three central women characters are noticeably different, though, and I felt they were each less compelling than those in the earlier movie (Kidman = Geraldine Page, Kirstin Dunst = Elizabeth Hartman, and Elle Fanning = Jo Ann Harris). This isn't a terrible film, but there's not a lot to recommend going out of your way for it, either.

This film does have a distinct visual appeal to it, as well as overall solid performances. However, the underlying tension that Coppola I think was going for doesn't really materialize. Instead the viewer is left with feelings of frustration because we know what we're supposed to be feeling, or what we think we should, but the director just can't make it happen. In part this is due to her going for style in place of substance, when these need not be mutually exclusive.

Based on a book in which each female character expresses her point of view, holds dark secrets, and competes with her fellows, this movie offers many establishing shots and little more. Two primary characters from the book don't make it into the movie, but a nothing character, who adds nothing to the plot, is added. The secrets of one character are hinted at and never revisited. Of course readers of the book know why--the character was seriously miscast. The women and girls never open their hearts to the injured soldier they take in, so we as viewers have no idea as to their motivations. They try to relay all through meaningful looks, but fall short. Personalities that should evolve and shine are stunted and dull. This is a character-based story that has been so diluted it's shares only the title with the original work.

Sofia Coppola's capacity to create beautiful shots in incredible settings, and capture actors' specific beauty is unquestionable. Finding depth in her characters is a different story. A new take on a old tale, the actors in the Beguiled fail to get us to actually care about any of them and, as a consequence, their fate in the story.

I have some lovely scenic videos on my camera, does that mean I can win Best Director at Cannes also? All seeing this film did was remind me of how much I enjoyed the trashy, tawdry original movie, which didn't even have to try half as hard as this one needed to to achieve atmosphere, characterization, and coherence.

Sofia took a simple story of love-starved ladies and adolescent girls alone with a handsome scoundrel who uses and abuses them until they turn the tables on him, and won an award for changing it into a confusing, dull, illogical mess of a movie with some pretty scenic views scattered here and there. Apparently this story was supposed to be told from the women's point of view, but there was no point at all.

There is also no point in viewing this film, so stick with the original.