Bastardos

I think the title describes almost all of the characters. The editing and the story are hard to follow. All that puts off the senses and no matter how hard you look, there are no heroes, on the contrary.

A rambling script that jumps so often from one person to another; one scene to another; one plot structure to another that you're left wondering if this is a story or an exercise in the writers/director being enamored with their cleverness. The inconclusive and illogical, abrupt ending is further proof of the film makers' self-absorption. Excessive use of flash backs and constant, shifting brief moments with each character leaves the viewer caring less about the principal vehicle - the life of a young girl in a prostituting environment. I usually have high regards for French film studios efforts, especially with their crime/thriller movies, but in this case ... Final verdict - who cares!

An alienated man returns to Paris in heavy rainfall in an attempt to mend family affairs in the wake of a suicide and substantial monetary damage. He discovers that human hearts, including his own, are not as repairable as he would prefer. Director Claire Denis displays a mastery of imagery, detail, tension and emotion in a dark story that goes back and forth in time and patiently reveals secrets. The introverted characters of her story attempt to react with confidence and courage to the bleak circumstances, malevolent figures, and fears that hem them in, yet their trust and hope hang on a thread. The film is enthralling, dark and brooding.

BASTARDS focuses on the experiences of sea-captain Marco (Vincent Lindon), who returns from his ship to find his sister Sandra (Julie Bataille) in trouble. He moves into the apartment above rich business person Edouard (Michel Subor), whom Sandra holds responsible for her troubles. As Marco becomes more involved in the case, so he discovers to his cost that the intrigues are more complicated than he anticipated. Set in contemporary Paris, Claire Denis creates a claustrophobic thriller, full of close-ups and tight two-shots in which the protagonists' faces seldom fall out of view. This helps reinforce the film's principal theme, which is to show how actions often have unforeseen and unintended consequences. Although Marco believes he is doing the right thing, his actions are misunderstood to such an extent that Edouard moves away, taking Sandra's little son with him. Perhaps this is due to Sandra's penchant for not telling Marco the truth about herself and her life; but Denis seems to suggest that Marco fails to consider the ways in which his behavior might be viewed by others. We never know who the "bastards" of the film actually are; perhaps it's one of those terms of abuse that people apply to others, especially when they are in tight situations. The plot remains taut throughout, and there is an unexpected dénouement that deserves our attention. Definitely worth a watch.

Hard hitting, beautiful, feminist and intelligent, the film is not an easy watch. The story is not told in a straightforward way and things do not go the way we expect. Tough and torrid, the tale unfolds in many different ways before us and we struggle, as does the main protagonist, to deal with what turns out to be an almost labyrinthine problem - even though we are only really talking about a couple of guys, their women and some girls. So beautifully is this shot that there were occasions where I seemed to miss a plot point, so in awe of the way some 'ordinary' scene was portrayed, and I assume this was intentional, one of the various means by which we become side-tracked here until faced with the awful and final denouement.