A man called Luis, while attempting to escape capture by authorities, gets shipwrecked on a deserted island. He discovers some buildings abandoned long ago. But suddenly people appear on the island, coming to settle down in the buildings, scaring Luis into hiding. After a while Luis gets more daring and tries to find out what is happening.
This movie is the French interpretation of the 1940 prize winning book "La invención de Morel" by Argentinian writer Adolfo Bioy Casares. Since I haven't read the book (yet) I cannot tell you if it is faithful. However the description on Wikipedia seems pretty close.
Although the development is a bit slow it pays to be patient. "L'invention de Morel" is a story of love, and the frequent pair of genius and madness. It's also a philosophical essay on death and immortality. The story progresses as the man shipwrecked on the island discovers what is behind all the strange events he's observing. We follow him step by step as he unravels the mysteries of the island. Most of the film evolves through the voice over of Luis as he writes a journal. This is at the source of an aloofness that keeps all your emotions at bay. The absence of music, except the one brought by the visitors, also contributes to this feeling of detachment. However, what matters most is what Morel did. And this is what will keep coming back in your thoughts later.
Luis' final actions left me quite puzzled. To such a Cartesian mind as mine, it made no sense. But perhaps if you are left alone long enough on a deserted island and there is not even a remote chance of returning to civilization, perhaps then, one might decide that this is the best outcome.
