Com Amor e Fúria

Christine Angot's novel Un tournant de la vie is filmed as Avec amour et acharnement and the results are mixed. I have been a fan of Claire Denis' work since Chocolat; she has always struck me as someone who has her finger on society's pulse better than most directors do. I wonder if her purpose here was to do a remake of Jules et Jim--certainly that's the feeling I'm left with as I watch Binoche fighting with Lindon as he tries to make her admit that she kissed Colin at the reception. The skill of these three actors is so evident, but so is the thinness of the script. Why show Binoche at the radio station interviewing the footballer Lilian Thuram talking about racism, it adds nothing to the story. Lindon's past as a rugby player and his prison sentence are only alluded to, surely they need further development. Gregoire Colin has made six films with Denis and fits in with her plan so well but I wish his part had been bigger. See this one if you are a Denis completist.

Greetings again from the darkness. If you are one of the many who need someone to cheer for - a nice person - in order for a movie to work for you, then this latest from renowned French director Claire Denis (BEAU TREVAIL, 2019) is going to be a challenge. Ms. Denis co-wrote the script with Christine Angot (they previously collaborated on LET THE SUNSHINE IN, 2017), an adaptation of Ms. Angot's novel.

Oscar winner Juliette Binoche stars as Sara, and we first see her whilst on an idyllic retreat with her long-time lover Jean, played by screen veteran Vincent Lindon. Sara and Jean are clearly happy and in love. When they return to Paris, we learn Sara is a talk show host for Radio France International, and Jean is a former Rugby star who has spent time in prison for an unspecified crime. His son, Marcus (Issa Perica), from a previous relationship is a troubled young man being raised by Jean's elderly mother, Nelly (Bulle Ogier). Jean has little fatherly sense and makes only a negligible effort to help.

One day, Sara spots her former lover, Francois (Gregoire Colin), on the street. Maybe he sees her, maybe he doesn't. Sara is overcome with emotion. Sara and Francois were together when she began seeing Jean. To make this the most French situation possible, Francois and Jean were friends and business associates at the time. It's even implied that Jean's crime was related to activities connected to Francois. So what happens next? Well, Francois phones Jean to offer him a chance to come back into the scouting business for a new sports agency. It's at this point where Francois' motivations come into question. Is he doing his friend a solid, or worming his way back into Sara's life?

This becomes a love triangle even more complicated than most. Sara deludes herself into thinking she can once again enjoy the fruits of Francois, while also appeasing her beloved Jean. Jean is distracted by issues with Marcus, but also too proud to let Sara walk over him. On full display are the destructive effects of an affair and the lack of respect and appreciation for a strong relationship. When the power of lust and idealistic romance collide, things get emotional. Cinematographer Eric Gautier works wonders in confined spaces. We never feel like the characters have room to breathe after making another poor decision. It's interesting to see how smoking and taking calls on the apartment balcony becomes the only "space". The close-ups allow Ms. Binoche and Mr. Lindon to do what they do best. The music is by Stuart Staples and includes a song written especially for the film. Ms. Denis again proves adept at allowing viewers to interpret the actions of all-too-human characters.

Opening July 8, 2022.

Normally a fan of Denis, Binoche and Lindon - but this really is bad.

Lots of talking and shouting, lots of unnecessary exposition, but still lots of confusion. What does this woman actually want? If Jean wants to be a good father why does he spend so little time with his son?? Did Francois ever love her, or is he just welcoming the chance to get her back into bed??? I never really found out any of this and, frankly, by the end I decided I didn't care.

With actors and a director this good, I feel you *have* to blame the script. Perhaps the source novel is just as bad (or worse). But I'm certain I'm not going to read that to find out. Hey ho.

I haven't read the book this is based on, but after seeing the film and getting that WTF feeling, I had to see what other people thought and yes, the book was not well received. Which is in sharp contrast with the directing and acting in the film, which was really good.

In short, this film is more of a play than a film, just a few characters, a lot of talking, a lot of emoting, strong emotions that overwhelm reason. I don't like theater plays much and this film is a perfect representation of why not: a lot of noise and a story that brings little entertainment, even if - perhaps particularly when - it's well executed.

You have three major characters, two guys and a woman. The woman is with one of the guys, but has been thoroughly in love with the other one a decade prior. And suddenly he pops back up into their lives. And they can't just say "this is awkward and I will take no part in it", so they dance this ridiculous dance that has a relatively predictable poor ending. Oh, and then there is this 15 year old idiot son of one of the guys who pretty much has no bearing on the story, but wastes a lot of screen time.

You can't fault Juliette Binoche, of course, she can act better than most when she's sleepwalking, and Vincent Lindon was great, too. The direction of this story was good, too, in the sense that such a nebulous plot was made bearable. But in the end the story felt biographical, because it made little sense narratively, and all of the characters were really annoying most of the time.

Both Sides of the Blade (2022) follows a couple who's lives are changed when the woman's ex boyfriend comes back into the picture. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this film. It was definitely good and packed a punch, but don't go into it expecting a gritty romance thriller. It was a very personal film and I have a lot of respect for it.

I really liked the cinematography, it was subtle yet created a significant atmosphere. The lighting choices were very good and every shot was well lit, there were some nice colour palettes too. There were plenty of extreme close-up shots that showed the characters' emotions and the shots were very long too with a lack of jump-cuts which I felt worked well.

The music used was very fitting to the tone of the film and it wasn't too overbearing which I liked. However, there was really anything to talk about in terms of general sound design and I would've liked to see more from it.

The phenomenal performances from all involved definitely carried this film. The movie was a very intimate character study and it worked well as the film spends a good amount of time to introduce us to the three main characters, who are all quite interesting and felt realistic! Also, there was quite a lot of dialogue that was very thought provoking and engaging.

The film was slow paced, and unfortunately it occasionally dragged a bit. It took a while to get into because there wasn't much driving force in terms of plot and I would've liked for there to be more to it. However, the last 20 minutes were very intense and I thoroughly enjoyed the final act.