Olivier, Olivier

A lot of people say that a major flaw of this movie is the odd powers of the sister, and when I first saw this movie I thought exactly that. Now that it's been about a year, I think that these powers, and how they aren't explained or dealt with in any way is amazing story telling. I don't think this movie is meant to make perfect sense, some people just don't understand that life itself makes no sense. The supernatural powers help create a tone that is haunting and beautiful. It's the style of the movie that makes it great. Most movies are completely forgettable, but this one stays with you and is so sad and wonderful. Also see Jean de Florette.

The thing about a film like "Olivier, Olivier" is how cold and distant the characters are directly influences the warmth of the film itself. This is a very distant, harsh story at times, filled with characters constantly at odds with one another. No one has a healthy, balanced relationship. Unlike Agnieszka Holland's next film, "The Secret Garden", the underlying beauties are greatly crushed beneath the weight of ugly attitudes. There's no redemption to be found, only emotional pain. That does not make this a bad film, only an exceedingly difficult one.

Love is always an illusion in "Olivier, Olivier". The only time it is at all real is in the early scenes of Nadine's and Olivier's childhood. From there on, guilt and possessiveness take over. In a frighteningly powerful way, everyone is, in turn, exposed for each of their darkest sides. The acting is great, there's no denying that. But it's far too narrowly focused. The cinematography is nice, but given virtually no breathing room. Scene after scene is the intense focus of faces and mid-range close-ups. Sometimes it feels like we never really get to see what's going on around these people. Then again, neither do they. Their world is excessively insular, incestuous, sealed in and circular.

There's a strange turn of events toward the last third of the film. A spiritual aspect is introduced briefly that has little forewarning and less explanation. I wouldn't normally be opposed to this inclusion, save for the fact that it has no real context or purpose in a straightforward drama. It feels ill-conceived and quite unbelievable.

In the end, most of the original questions are answered. Anyone who was watching could quite easily have pieced it together, but it is somewhat gratifying to see it resolved. A lot of people have praised this film as a stunning achievement. In a few ways, this can be true. But at the heart of "Olivier, Olivier", you are left with a somewhat dull, incompletely realized film. There are depths, both visual and emotional, that Agnieszka Holland doesn't nearly reach. It is a genuinely good film - but quite far away from being an excellent one.

Now this is a truly wonderful film. It's simple enough: one day, a young boy goes missing from his family. Several years later, he returns - or does he?

This movie is a flawless dissection of a frighteningly twisted family, with extremely vivid characters. Agnieszka Holland has succeeded at that difficult task: create realistic characters in a believable situation, yet present them with shockingly eerie dilemma. Strongly recommended.

Side note: the only flaw in this movie was the rather ridiculous invocation of the supernatural. Fortunately, it's part of an almost completely irrelevant subplot, and can be safely ignored.

By the end of the movie, you stop questioning what is real and what is dream. You forget that everything up to the truth has been gentle. Even the disappearance and the conflict with the neighbors take a back seat to the overall gentle telling of the story. When the audience is then faced with what may be true to the people in the movie, it all ends and the movie becomes reality. Even the last shot of the movie questions who is living in the gentle fiction that makes up their lives. Having to face the truth by the end of the movie, the family chooses to live the gentle lie that has brought them all together. The sexual tension between husband and wife / sister and brother explodes before your eyes. Not out of lust but out of love. Very few movies have captures this, Olivier Olivier has.

A nine-year-old boy disappears without a trace. Six years later, he reappears in Paris but there are doubts about his real identity. The film entered the competition at the 49th Venice International Film Festival and won an award at the 1992 Valladolid International Film Festival.

I don't really have much to say about this film. Having now seen about half of the director's work, I would not go so far as to say I am a fan. Some of it, like "Angry Harvest", I thought was really good. But then we have this film, which never really held my attention. Some of the early scenes are good with the children interacting, but it becomes much less interesting once Olivier (if that is really him) appears as an adult.