Alice et Martin

The French movie Alice et Martin (1998) was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Alice and Martin. The film was co-written and directed by André Téchiné.

Juliette Binoche portrays Alice, a professional violinist who lives with Benjamin Sauvagnac, a gay playwright and actor. (Benjamin is played by Mathieu Amalric.) Alexis Loret portrays Martin Sauvagnac, Benjamin's half-brother.

Martin comes from the countryside to Paris, and moves in with Alice and Benjamin. Naturally, he falls in love with Alice. The rest of the plot spins out as a relationship story between Alice and Martin, as the name of the film implies.

Téchiné is a great director. Brioche is a great actor. This should have been a don't-miss movie. Sadly, it didn't work out that way. I think that part of the problem is that Alice is depicted as unsure and dependent. That's not really the way we usually see Juliette Binoche, and she appears unsure and dependent playing that role. Anyway, the magic doesn't happen.

We saw this movie on the small screen, and it worked well. It has a dismal IMDb rating of 6.3. I thought it was somewhat better than that, and rated it 7.

Although the performances were good, this movie is quite frustrating. While a non-linear narrative can be effective and compelling, the disjointed plot or lack of one leaves the viewer bored and confused. The story line is further strained by the lack of development of much of Alice's and Martin's characters. For instance, one can't understand why Martin's father was such a brute or why Alice would choose to stay with Martin. It's a shame because this movie could have been a lot better.

Once a critic for Cahiers Du Cinéma, André Téchiné wakes generally high expectations from movie viewers, but he not always satisfied them. The interest for melodrama that distinguishes him from nouvelle vague predecessors returns in Alice and Martin which is not free from the thematic of dysfunctional family of others of his films. In this case the results are more unconvincing. At the beginning and for a long time we don't know what happens, and when we know, it does not matter enough. The disproportion between the elliptical and not few scenes of unnecessary diffuse dialogue does not contribute to go deep into the drama. Secondary characters like the tyrannical father, the mother, and the stepmother of the protagonist are delineated in the style of the stereotyped Spanish telenovela. The nicely photographed landscapes (a mark in Téchiné's pictures) add to the pleasure of the viewer but not fulfill the holes in the screenplay. The story, excessively charged with family quarrels, suicide, involuntary crime, tempestuous love, professional aspirations, madness, atonement, and final redemption, can't easily catch the spectator. Adam Gai

Andre Techine is a director that likes to portray the problems young people are facing, which seems what attracted him to "Alice et Martin", a film that gives us a strange take in how the past catches up with a young man that challenged his father's authority. The screen play is by Olivier Assayas and Gilles Taurand, two men that have had written better things for the cinema.

The film's opening sequence is puzzling since we have no clue as to what makes Martin run away from home. This seems to be a disjointed way to make the film work, because even though we might guess what could have happened, when the final truth comes about, we just don't care about it.

Then there is the problem of Alice's attraction for Martin. Alice is a woman that seems to know what she wants. She is older than the young guy that comes into her life, and should have been wiser to avoid, at all costs, but she falls for him, anyhow.

Basically, what attracted us to the film was Juliette Binoche, an actress that is always interesting to watch. Unfortunately, because our lack of interest in the story, we stop caring about her long before we get to know what really happened. Alexis Loret is a weak choice for Martin. Mathiew Amalric and Carmen Maura fare better in their supporting roles.

"Alice et Martin" is a slow moving film that will get in the nerves of viewers. Better luck to M. Techine in his next effort.

With Techine directing Binoche you would expect something special, something emotionally involving, something...good. But, sadly, this movie is, for the most part, disappointing. First of all we don't truly care about the characters, Loret, who plays Martin, is wooden and distant, and the blossoming relationship between the two leads is unconvincing. Binoche is on top form, a beauty to behold, but every time she's off the screen the film nosedives. Perhaps Alice's past should have been explored too. The psychological leash Victor has on Martin isn't tight enough to convincingly escalate into patricide. However, it isn't all bad. The cinematography is beautiful, in particular, when Martin opens his window, as a child, and is greeted by the snow falling. Golden Spain too. Alice Et Martin isn't diabolical, but with the talent involved, you would expect so much more. 6/10