ASuiGeneris

How is it that I am falling for this, again and again. I should have learned my lesson by now that I do not like Robert Altman.

Yet. Every so often I read another several prolifically panegyric reviews of something else that his name is attached to, and the caving process commences.

This is the, believe it or not (because I cannot believe how foolish I am to repeat this mistake and might do so again), the month feature film I have endured by this inconsistent, but almost always purposely labyrinthine director. When I dislike ambiguous endings as a rule, let alone the entire show! 3/9 had me disliking to hating them, fully regretting the time spent. Another 3/9 were not quite hateable and had some redeeming qualities, but still nothing I would recommend. 2/9 were alright, with no interest in rewatching ("Godsford Park" & "Popeye").

Now we come to this one, frequently cited as Altman's masterpiece and very best work, depending on the whose assessment you are seeking, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller". Thus brings me great sadness, to have to report that it might be the worst one yet. Although "M*A*S*H" & "3 Women" might very well be much more disconcerting, offensive, and meaningless, this supposed revisionist Western was so boring, I could barely even stay engaged, even as background fodder! Cinematography was no achievement, everything was purposely made to look grungy, and the story had very little in the way of anything to draw the audience members in, let alone unpredictable. We know before we even begin that these two underdogs, glorified as the "unlikely duo", will enter into a business partnership together, Western stylized gun battles and shoot outs will occur a plenty, and none of it will end well.

What a shocker. We were right. However, to make matters worse, there was no identifiable comedy, no true character arcs, as usual with Altman it was difficult to discern many conversations, plus it dragged on and on way longer than necessary.

We shall see if this is finally enough to prevent me from falling for another effusively idolizing review on any Robert Altman film.

This is the second very well done film I have watched from this specific team of directors (In 2025, the only two that credit them two and them two only as directors). Hailing from Basque country, this is told in the last surviving language isolate in all of Europe! All the media readily accessible to the international market from the Basque culture make a devastatingly short list; so that alone is a treat. "Loreak", which was made three years after this, has a similar beauty. Something better defined as a grace and subtleness in its compelling, yet extremely heartwarming storytelling style. The mellifluous soundtrack to these films is yet another added bonus.

There are only a couple slight criticisms. One, Axun & Maite could have conveyed more chemistry. Secondly, it would have been nice to be able to see more into these two kindred souls' minds, and to see them share more quality time together, even though it might not change the final outcome. Lastly, a little more depth into their past romances would have been appreciated- Axun with her current husband, anyways, and Maite with her last girlfriend, or any other relationships she failed to mention.

Two elderly women meet in a hospital room, each seeing their own comatose relative, whom are coincidentally roommates. Both around 70 years old, Axun is there for her son-in-law, Maite visits her brother. The two begin to socialize and discover they not only knew each other 50 years ago, but that they were once best friends and even shared some romantic interest!

Numerous audience members have expressed disagreement with the film denouement- but it is difficult to argue that the filmmakers' choices are not realistic. True, nothing huge changes over the next 90 minutes, as far as external circumstances. But that is because the life changing realizations that these characters come to are not flashy or even outwardly immediately apparent.

Now, take note that there are also no fireworks, no all out sexual scenes like audiences might come to expect from American and gay and lesbian stories. That, however, is exactly what is so admirable about "80 Egunean", roughly translated into "80 In A Day", or "For 80 Days". Without using any extravagant scenes or special effects, it manages to convey this moving and realistic story about lost loves, regrets, and how we choose our priorities between the things our hearts really desire, the designated loved ones we feel committed and obligated to, and the expectations our mind and society have.

Nothing satisfying really occurs in "Véronique & Her Dunce". To clarify, it is not a matter of anything significant. There is a plethora of excellent plotless feature length masterpieces out there, after all. Even though there is a very simple plot at play here, thirteen minutes later- excepting a chuckle maybe- there is nothing to care about nor ponder. Fourteen minutes later, we might as well have never seen it, so forgettable it was.

We see a young boy meet his brand new tutor, we get the sense that he is a slightly deceitful boy- at least with his mother. It is no shocking revelation, then, when we see him act likewise with Véronique. It is a short, yes, but that is no reason to not have any character development.

However, this is a nice showcase for Éric Rohmer's style. Any first time audience members should rest assured that his later work is more meaningful and exhibits substantial improvement; his style can already be recognized in this very early short, one which evolves into what makes him one of the most respected French New Wave directors.

To his credit, this otherwise unfulfilling short does has the saving grace of some entertaining cleverness and witty responses from the young boy. Clearly, he is no dunce; Veronique might be, though, for falling for it all. I bet the boy's mother never said any such thing about leaving after an hour!