Genèse

I saw this at the New Zealand International Film Festival and I truly cannot remember the last film I saw that had this much contempt and hatred for its characters. It wallows in misery and subjects its protagonists to so much cruelty, before deciding otherwise in a totally pointless and interminable third act. Performances are strong but they are in the service of people who aren't characters - are barely even a collection of ticks. On an aesthetic level, Genesis makes some truly puzzling choices; crash zooms, long unbroken takes of panning to and fro, repetitive use of the same dull pop songs and a really poor sense of pacing. The performances are truly the only thing that work, and at over 130 minutes long, the performances are a very small saving grace within this awful slog.

I am not one to go in gunning for a film, and I was actually quite excited to see this. I hated it from start to finish, I was in misery, and I highly doubt I will see a worse film this year.

Beautifully composed coming of age multiple story. Vivid, fresh look on teenagers seeking identity, meaning, inspiration and fulfillment. Sensitive, melancholic, truly perceptive and poetic. The unexpected reactions of first love and contagious music. Undoubtedly one of the best films of 2019.

This is one of the best films I've seen - and I've seen many acclaimed movies, art and commercial.

PREDICTION: I bet Timothee Chalamet ends up working with the director Philippe Lesage. I think he'd appreciate Lesage's depth and intelligent, compassionate understanding of human beings - and they both have a French background.

The film is unusually realistic, and sensitive in every meaning of the word: Lesage has clearly observed and reflected on human nature to the point of deep sympathy, which he expresses on film with subtlety, delicacy and brutality. I loved it.

It's not just about first loves - it's about the human condition.

~*~

I see some have given it bad reviews: I can only assume these people lack the depth and life experience to appreciate the psychological and emotional material it explores. Maybe in a few years they should watch it again, and pay CLOSER ATTENTION! (It's a small-scale, slow(ISH)-burn psychological-emotional movie, not a racy blockbuster! A small gem, to be turned over slowly in the hand.)

I didn't find it boring a minute - the only scene I thought could have been cut was the second club dancing scene. (Though perhaps WHEN I watch it all again, I'll understand why it's there.)

Some complained about the last section. Two responses:

* Yes, it's unusual and like a small movie in itself. It's not what's normally done. That's INNOVATION!

* It does fit with the rest of the movie if you grok it a little. If it was at the start, you could see this even more: it's a COUNTERPOINT showing how innocent love CAN be (especially at an earlier age), compared to how tumultuous it can be (especially later in life). In its place at the end of the movie, you could see it as a kind of 'saving grace' that gives some hope, reminding us how pure affection and fascination can be. Or if you're of a darker mind: you see the sadness that may lay in wait for Felix and Beatrice. It's almost like the cycle of life: '...and so it all starts over again'.

Sidebar: I've been to similar gatherings and it was SO good at evoking the warm, intimate, relaxed atmosphere of such gatherings. (Unless of course you're a cynic who's mind and heart is incapable of enjoying 'all that' - in which case even such gatherings would leave you cold and seeing hidden motivations everywhere...yep, the ravenous Consuming Mind searching for its prey...)

~*~

Did any of you film buffs notice the probable homage to Zéro de conduite?

(I appreciated this film so much and was so shocked at the bad reviews, that I joined IMDB just to review it!)

Way too many long shots that provided nothing. If you do end up watching this movie, fast forward through those, it'll make it a little more tolerable.

The reviews seem very mixed here and there is a contradiction somewhere because the ratings it gets are very high. The last part in the camp was interminably long and what Lesage was trying to say eluded me. Before that section the film was fine, well acted and then we lost the characters and were in my opinion presented with a whole new film. It is a pity as I liked the slow pace, the music, the cruelty and fumbling way ' relationships ' form and fall about. The declaration of love in the classroom was a standout scene, and for me was at the heart of the film. But in all the scenario and direction of narrative did not hold its force. I watched it late at night and had paid no attention to how long it was and this may colour my view of the last section. It may well be a masterpiece, but like those first audiences for Antonioni's ' L'Avventura ' I was torn between booing it and applauding it. And please anyone who reads the keywords do not think this is an LGBT film. It could have been but to me the director clearly decided to make it ' Universal '. I use this dreadful word but that is how it seems here, and probably that was a mistake. To me Universal is just a studio! A difficult film.