L'histoire de ma femme

Very fine actors we have here, to a story that you have to ... well get into. The premise is "easy" or at least seems that way. Especially considering how fast everything seems to move at first. But when you skip steps - well in the end the step you skipped may come back to haunt you.

Or in this case the main characters. Love can not be conjured up - it can be built over years sometimes, And it may be something that is going to happen here too. But it wouldn't be a good movie, if everything went smoothly and without any obstacles ... still the movie is almost 3 hours long and the pace slows down quite significantly.

So I do understand if some people have issues because of the length (no pun intended) ... yes (minute) size does matter. Keeping things fresh too - it does try that out and we have quite a few situations. Some that we may have to figure out ourselves. Can you dig it?

This film was a pleasant surprise for me...I hadn't read the book (original source material is a book with the same title by Hungarian author Milan Fust) and I didn't know anything about the film when I watched it. Since, I have read numerous reviews and critiques of the book...and the film which was premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film festival.

The general story is about a Dutch sea captain Jakob Stor in the 1920's/1930's who, encouraged by his on-board chef, marries a young bohemian woman who he doesn't really know. The two have an odd relationship filled with seeming contempt and indifference by Lizzy the wife and patience, curiosity, and eventual jealousy by Jakob. The film is predominantly in English with some Dutch in parts...like the beginning. I was very appreciative of the Dutch language being used and Jakob being played by the Dutch actor Gijs Naber. Gijs Naber was not just the anchor holding this film together...but the best part. He was phenomenal and did a wonderful job selling a tortured and sympathetic character. One of my favorite scenes is the build up to him throwing vases etc around their flat. (He lasted longer than I would have before he snapped.) I also particularly enjoyed the sultry Tango scene, but a large part of my enjoyment of this film was the cinematography. I love some of the still moments that were just a view out of a port window...or the view of the horizon. Sea life is definitely romanticized in the film...even the camaraderie of the young crew seems idolized along with the more revered but isolated life of the captain. I understand this was a joint effort between Hungary, Germany and France and I loved it. I hope we have more joint efforts bringing literature to life. The sets and costumes were wonderful and really showcased both the time period and the fictional characters.

Not only did I love the film and highly recommend it, but I am eager to read the original book which I have had to order as my local bookstore did not have a copy. If the reviews are to be believed to book delves even more into philosophy than the film.

To define this film in the simplest of terms this is about a toxic relationship or the breakdown of a marriage between a Dutch sea captain and a young free spirited girl.

This movie is not for everyone, but for those who can see poetry in images. Only Lea herself is already enough to see it, such a mysterious woman, on which most of people can't understand. The actor who plays the captain is good enough to lead the movie all by himself in 3 hours.

The photography, cities and the period completes the perfect environment.

After some of the bad reviews my expectations were low and I was surprised how did this movie struck me hard.

Maybe because the captain expresses so deeply what I felt in relationships. Not that I ever would propose to the first woman that would enter a door but the experience sometimes you get more than you bargained for and how you can't control how destructive love can be. To watch how the captain was struggling to articulate what he was feeling was intriguing.

The sadness and frustration of him never even getting close in the mind of his wife. Was she playing with hm and paying him back as a punishment for his bold proposal or did she deeply love him as much as he loved her? Did she get more than she bargained for as well by thinking she could play him? Will men ever understand women?

It's not a Hollywood movie with clever lines of communication and it's drawn out yes. But for me the atmosphere with the continuous tension kept me on my seat for the full 3 hours. Bach's largo from his 5th clavier concerto on the background exemplified the sadness and the longing. The cinematography was so beautiful.

The acting was stellar and a joy to watch. Other reviewers seem to have criticized the acting but they meant to criticize the characters with their clear flaws. Did they mix this up.

Just as the captain, I struggle to describe this movie and I can't explain why I was so drawn to it. I'm grateful Enyedi's courage bringing this out in the way she did. At least some people find this a master piece!

This film got is premiere at last Cannes with not very warm reviews from the critics and public alike, many of the critics calling euro-pudding. I suspect many of these critics didn´t read the original novel of Milan Fust that these film is based on and that Ildikó Enyedi was tryng to do for many years.

I thought the film was very well adapted containing many of the philisophical and symbolism of the novel, beautifully shot, excellent perfomances by all (Gijs Naber and Léa Seydoux (her part is probably more difficult to play since she´s mostly an enigma until the very end of the film) are perfectly cast and very well directed.

One advise I who give who wants to see this film, is to read the novel first.