Phantom (2013)

Directed by: Jonathan Soler
Country: France

Movie Review: “Phantom” is an experimental drama wrapped in a dreamlike atmosphere and narrated completely in voice-off by its pair of protagonists. Jonathan Soler’s first feature film was shot in Tokyo, exposing a bunch of personal thoughts in Japanese about the world, life, and people, in a logical order. Since the beginning, I could anticipate what the story would be. A woman (Yuki Fujita) arrives home and goes to bed alone, but instantly begins a long conversation with her boyfriend (Masato Tsujioka) who appeared from nowhere. She confesses her sadness for not feeling useful in a world where people are evaluated for their status and salary. After this topic, a lot more would come, including the search for self-identity, financial problems, environmental issues, the changes of turning into adult, the roles played inside their families, and their dreams and hopes for the future. In precise moments, a clear connection could be found between the images and what was being told, but most of the time Soler gives us merely shots of the couple inside the room or walking along the city, all intercalated with Tokyo’s out-of-focus landscapes. I can understand this approach (once phantoms don’t talk or sleep, and got no influence in the world), even if sometimes its repetition didn’t allow a better outcome. Adopting Hong Sang-soo’s melancholic and talkative posture in order to point many of today’s main problems, “Phantom” is far from being faultless, but definitely is a film to discover for whoever fancies different experiences.

Tango Libre (2012)

Directed by: Frédéric Fonteyne
Country: France / Belgium / others

Movie Review: “Tango Libre”, 2012 Venice’s special jury prize and Warsaw’s grand prix, is a shallow drama with humorous touches that completely fails to be credible. The story is based in a fatal attraction that develops between a prison guard, J.C. (François Damiens), and a lonely young mother, Alice (Anne Paulicevich), after they met during a tango class. Emotional conflict arises when he finds out that Alice’s jealous husband, Fernand (Sergi Lopez), together with her depressive lover, Dominic (Jan Hammenecker), are both inmates in the same prison he works. At first sight, this already confusing threesome relationship didn’t have enough space for another person, but J.C., violating the prison rules, will try anything to gain the trust of husband, son, and lover, just to be close to Alice. Everything was wrapped in Argentinean tango and an irritating, self-indulgent pose that takes beyond proper limits the already strained plot. The tense moments seemed untrue and from an early stage, I lost the interest in what was coming next. Do you imagine incarcerated tough guys giving tango lessons to their fellows in prison? I don’t! “Tango Libre” wanted to be so ‘libre’ that seemed widely ridiculous, superfluous, and never funny, becoming a film to be skipped.

Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? (2013)

Directed by: Michel Gondry
Country: France

Movie Review: After the realism of “The We and The I” and the surrealism of “Mood Indigo”, the multifaceted Michel Gondry embarks in a unique conversation with Noam Chomsky, a renown American linguist philosopher, politic commentator and activist. Shot with an old mechanical Bolex camera and adorned with animation, “Is the Tall Man Happy?” reveals an interesting approach and presents a very didactic conversation about themes such as evolution, development, science, traditional vs. modern, religion, astrology and life's coincidences, generative grammar, holocaust and death, among others. Therefore, and for quite some time, the film seems like a philosophical lecture that encompasses Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, and David Hume, just to mention a few. The interesting here is that Chomsky also enters in the personal field, telling us about past memories, from childhood to high school and college, and elucidating us about his professional path and the education given to his three children who grew up surrounded with political tension and took different directions in life. The simplistic animation was carried out on top of images with an antique look, like a simple room, streets, places, or occasionally the interview itself. Hard to be absorbed immediately, this instructive animated-documentary, narrated in English with a strong French accent by its filmmaker, requires to be seen more than once to be fully apprehended. If you’re interested in philosophy and science, this is a film for you; otherwise you may find it too dense and puzzling.

Bastards (2013)

Directed by: Claire Denis
Country: France / Germany

Movie Review: Claire Denis has already proved her amazing capabilities, and “Bastards” confirms her biting efficiency within a complex story that balances among intriguing insinuations and the habitual rawness that characterizes her filmmaking style. Marco arrives to Paris, after the suicide of his brother-in-law, to give support to his sister, Sandra, and niece, Justine, who is hospitalized with severe damages in the genitals resulting of her involvement in a dirty prostitution business. Marco gives up his job and sells everything he can to help his family, now in bankruptcy. In an attempt to reach Edouard Laporte, the presumed responsible for all these tragic incidents, Marco rents an apartment in the building he lives, but unexpectedly becomes passionate lover of Laporte’s wife Raphaelle, an inactive housewife that lives for her little son. The film starts in a modest way, I would even dare to say in a pretty standard way, but as the plot develops, things becomes clearer and Denis waits for the perfect moment to blow us away with ruthless, shocking, and surprising revelations. The pace is unhurried, taking the time needed for us to absorb the characters’ personality and cheerless scenarios. The dusky photography by Agnés Godard, highlights the constrained atmosphere of despair, oppressiveness, and psychological insanity, aided by an intriguing, somber music. With great performances by all the cast and demanding a lot from the audiences, “Bastards” is undisputed leader for darkest film of the year.

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

Directed by: Abdellatif Kechiche
Country: France / others

Movie Review: Very few films about search of identity and sexual orientation were so raw, intense, and sharp as “Blue is The Warmest Color”, a three-hour drama directed by the acclaimed Tunisian filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche. The film, Palme D’Or at Cannes, evinces a steady but very commendable pace without never losing direction or slacking intensity on the detailed occurrences it tries to emphasize. Through a completely new approach and uncountable close-ups, the director was able to extract the exact feelings and expressions from the characters, creating the appropriated levels of intimacy. But this was not achieved without some controversy, since actresses Adéle Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux affirm they won’t work again with Kechiche, accusing him of moral harassment during the shooting of the film. Polemics aside, the truth is that every single minute felt very real, and none of the protagonists faltered even once. Adèle’s shyness, sweetness, and sadness were very well depicted, and her concern and affliction after a failed sexual experience with a male classmate was totally convincing. With an interesting dramatic side, “Blue Is The Warmest Color” stands above many other films with the same thematic, only sinning due to its overlong duration. Some will love it and say it was thoroughly designed, some will hate it and refute that sex was overmuch explicit… For me this is a great achievement of modern French cinema, portrayed with honesty and relying on an admirable ending.

The Past (2013)

Directed by: Asghar Farhadi
Country: France / Italy

Movie Review: Asghar Farhadi’s first cinematic experience totally made outside Iran wasn’t so rewarding as his previous two masterpieces “About Elly” and “A Separation”. Set in France, there is no question about “The Past” being an adult film, but the plot didn’t shake me or intrigued me, and I felt a sort of distance towards the characters. I watched it with eagerness for some kind of astonishing revelation or a better twist, but the film let me dry in the end. The story follows Ahmad who travels from Teheran to Paris to finish his divorce procedure with his wife Marie whom he didn’t see for 4 years. He stays in Marie’s place, taking the opportunity to be with her two daughters from two previous marriages. But for his surprise, Marie is pregnant and has been living with another Arab, Samir, whose wife is in a coma due to suicide attempt. Samir also has a son, Fouad, who is showing problematical behaviors and reveals a clear need of attention. Marie’s older daughter, Lucie, becomes a key-character in the story’s climax, hiding a relevant secret that justifies her deplorable state of depression. “The Past” ends up being a modest family drama that, taking all the aspects into account, seemed more planned that complex. Nevertheless, and in the same line as his prior works, the film conveyed great simplicity of processes, composed with sharp images that were quite appealing to the eyes. Farhadi’s direction was never in cause, in a story about breaking up ties with the past, that despite likable, failed to enrapture.

Camille Claudel 1915 (2013)

Directed by: Bruno Dumont
Country: France

Movie Review: French filmmaker Bruno Dumont is back with a total different film but not less disturbing as his previous “La Humanité”, “Hadewijch”, or “Outside Satan”. As the title suggests, this is a biopic that intends to describe sculptor Camille Claudel’s life in the year of 1915, when she was incarcerated in an asylum located in the outskirts of Avignon, after ten years of confinement in her atelier with fear that her works could be stolen by her ex-lover and teacher, the famous Auguste Rodin. Camille shows all her anguish and sorrow due to her parents’ silence and absence towards her appeals to get out, stating that she is not insane. Only her brother, the writer Paul Claudel, pays her a visit from time to time, becoming her only hope to escape that unbearable place. In the last part of the film we get to know more of Paul’s ideas, a writer whose devotion to God made him blind, defending that Camille’s delusions of persecution and grandeur were more a case for an exorcism than sickness. Light was set beautifully, aiding Dumont setting up the perfect cold atmosphere and sorrowful portrait of Camille, magnificently performed by Juliette Binoche. The pace adopted is slow and invariable, reminding me Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” but with much more emphasis on oppressiveness. The top-notch direction was filled with medium close-ups and medium long shots that efficiently help to describe the sad and tedious life of this great artist.

Mood Indigo (2013)

Directed by: Michel Gondry
Country: France

Movie Review: Adapted from a novel by Boris Vian, Michel Gondry’s “Mood Indigo” is a futuristic romantic comedy filled with animation, which lies somewhere between the happiness of “Amélie” and the fantasy of Jan Svankmajer’s films without the darkness associated to its stories and mechanical creatures. This sounds good, but Gondry’s versatility has already proved not to be always consistent and this is another case in which the technical aspects are much more highlighted than the story. The film stars Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou as Colin and Chloé, respectively, a loving couple whose happiness is tested after Chloé got sick with a growing daffodil in her lungs caught during their honeymoon. A great soundtrack along with alluring visuals containing vivid colors, animated animals and objects that gain life, and unexpected distortions of the body, were scarcely sufficient to content me, since the romance was enable to convey any empathy or emotion. Many scenes, despite beautifully set up, lack depth and were presented in a childish way, with a joyful posture that was often annoying. I didn’t find it funny either, and must confess that for several occasions I had to struggle with myself to keep on watching so many details created to catch the eye but evincing a superficiality behind them that could not be ignored. The sumptuous yet frivolous “Mood Indigo” left me indifferent all the way through, becoming another failed adventure from Gondry’s creative mind.

The Gilded Cage (2013)

Directed by: Ruben Alves
Country: France

Movie Review: Ruben Alves’ directorial debut “The Gilded Cage” puts face-to-face Portuguese immigrants and French bosses in order to create a simple but amusing social comedy of errors. Maria (Rita Blanco) and José (Joaquim de Almeida) make a typical Portuguese couple who have been working in France for 30 years, becoming indispensable in their jobs. Maria works as a concierge in a building, while José is supervisor in a construction company. When they are informed about an heritage left by Jose’s brother, the couple ponders return to Portugal, but their bosses will do everything to keep their hard working employees and the doubt will be installed since their own children are French. To complicate even more the decision, the couple’s daughter assumes to be in love with the son of her dad’s boss. The film addresses quite well the spirit of the immigrants who live to work and save money for one day get back to their origin country. The film boasts a certain success as comedy, playing with culture differences, feelings of inferiority, and language puns, to create hilarious scenes without ever being offensive or derogatory. Rich on visuals and music, but with a modest direction, “The Gilded Cage” will say much more to the Portuguese and French, especially considering that many funny language expressions can be lost when translated. In this family comedy with several aspects to be enjoyed, actresses Rita Blanco and Chantal Lauby excelled.

Populaire (2012)

Directed by: Régis Roinsard
Country: France

Movie Review: “Populaire”, the directorial debut by Régis Roinsard gains in ambition in the same proportion as lacks in creativity. It’s a kitsch recreation of the American romantic comedies from the 50’s, set up with frenetic boogie rhythms and jazz standards in the background. The last thing Rose (Déborah François) wants is to live in her small hometown, working for her father and marry the son of the local gas station's owner. Feeling pressured, Rose decides to go to Paris and become a secretary, a dream that will come true after being hired by Louis Echard (Romain Duris), an eternal bachelor who doesn’t sees her as an efficient employee but recognizes her ability to typewrite with an unusual speed. The duo will become successful in speed typewriting contests, and love arrives without surprise, but not everything will be so easy for the couple, since Louis shows decision problems regarding their relationship and tends to restrain his inner feelings. The interest of the film came more from the energy of the contests than the romance itself whose development left me with a sense of déja-vu. Though, its ending statement: ‘Americans for business, and French for love’, doesn’t apply so much as a truth here. With obvious outcomes and far-fetched tones, “Populaire” accomplished its role of crowd-pleaser and entertainer with some charms, most of them coming from the reliable performances.

The Girl From Nowhere (2012)

Directed by: Jean-Claude Brisseau
Country: France

Movie Review: I was never an admirer of Jean Claude Brisseau’s movies, and “The Girl From Nowhere” still didn’t exceed my expectations. Brisseau himself plays the main character, Michel, a retired math professor whose true passions are cinema and philosophy. One day he sees a girl being spanked by a man in the stairs of his apartment building. Letting this homeless drifter named Dora (Virginie Legeay) stay with him until she recovers, will lead to contentment, unusual feelings, and illusions. While Michel talks about an unfinished book, his deceased wife, and philosophical theories about life and religion, Dora shows a tendency for being inquisitive, self-assured, and to have special abilities to deal with the supernatural. As usual in Brisseau’s works, all the conversations and scenes carry a sexual tension; only this time he added a mystic factor that revealed to be the best aspect in the film. The ghosts' spooky appearances were one of the few things worthy of admiration. As for the rest, “The Girl From Nowhere” was never capable to achieve successfully its artistic pretensions, losing itself in devised conversations given in literate, philosophical, or nostalgic forms. All these aspects were carried out with inexpressive performances and a sense of fakeness in the most of its scenes. The film ended up winning the Golden Leopard at Locarno Film Fest.

Thérèse (2012)

Directed by: Claude Miller
Country: France

Review: Claude Miller’s last film before his death in April 2012, “Therese Desqueyroux” (original title), is far from being a gem on drama but is a completely followable old-fashioned story about the influence of family in the conservative society of 20’s in detriment of individual happiness. Based on François Muriac’s novel, the plot describes the fight for freedom put by Therese Desqueyroux (Audrey Tautou) against her irritating husband Bernard (Gilles Lellouche), after taking into account the case of her best friend and sister-in-law, Anne (Anais Demoustier), who was locked in home when in love with a liberal neighbor of Portuguese origin. She just chose the worst way to do it, disgracing her life and becoming rejected by everyone around her. Using an indolent pace, the story flows emotionless just like its main character, but conveying all the baffling psychological complexities associated to Therese’s behaviors. Audrey Tautou, despite not so much fiery, was able to play accordingly the role of a defiant woman who tried to escape to an inevitable fate by what she thought to be the only possible way. Lellouche was very convincing too in his passion, rigidness, and hypochondria. Another version of this same novel, directed by George Franjus and starring Emanuelle Riva and Philippe Noiret, was released in 1962, presenting considerable better results. Nonetheless, Miller’s goodbye is fair enough to worth a look.

Something In The Air (2012)

Directed by: Olivier Assayas
Country: France

Review: “Something In The Air” is a semi-autobiographical film by the French director Olivier Assayas. The story, set in the turbulent France of the early 70's, focuses on Gilles (Clément Métayer), a young radical high-school boy, whose time is basically spent in riotous student movements, painting, and amorous relationships, which would become meaningful in this crucial phase of his life. Therefore, a big emphasis is given to his early romances with Laure (Carole Combes), an aspiring actress who departed to London to get lost on drugs, and Christine (Lola Créton), his close mate on the revolution that students were trying to carry out. These were not impetuous romances, for sure, but they were depicted with an inherent sensibility and in a non-sorrowful way, which is commendable. Assayas knew what he wanted from the actors, whose expression and characterization reminded me some of the works by Christophe Honoré, but was his confident objectivity behind the camera that made the difference here, even if in some moments the film doesn’t get the appropriate vigor for better serving its intentions. In truth, excepting the fighting scenes between activists and police, the film runs in a passive tone that doesn’t provoke the viewer, making the revolutionary attitude of its characters get a bit lost on the screen. More personal and intellectual than properly striking or bold, this film certainly must have a huge sentimental value for its author, but for me it just became likeable and partly satisfying.

Une Vie Meilleure - A Better Life (2011)

Directed by: Cédric Kahn
Country: France

Review: “A Better Life” is a French drama directed by Cedric Kahn that follows the story of a couple, Yann (Guillaume Canet) and Nadine (Leila Bekhti), after they fell in love when met for the first time in a restaurant. After some time living together, they decide to buy a crumbling building and open their own restaurant in a convenient zone in the suburbs of Paris, since Yann had a promising talent as chef. However, their expectations will be defrauded when legal issues and consecutive loans tore them apart, forcing Yann to work in other restaurants and Nadine to accept a work proposal from Canada, leaving her nine-year-old son behind. Her extended absence will make Yann concerned with her whereabouts, and some difficult decisions will have to be taken. “A Better Life” features Guillaume Canet in the main role, also considered a respected filmmaker after “Tell No One” in 2006, and “Little White Lies” in 2010. Here he proves his talent as an actor, playing his part with great determination and devotion, ending up being awarded in Rome Film Fest. The lesson of this story is that the best intentions aren’t always sufficient to be successful, but Kahn gave a good chance on hope and immigration by simplifying in the end what its characters had complicated in the beginning. His direction was competent but not brilliant, in an actual and realistic movie that certainly works as an alert for the more ambitious, in times of economic crisis.

A Few Hours Of Spring (2012)

Directed by: Stéphane Brizé
Country: France

Review: “A Few Hours Of Spring” is a compelling drama that depicts the relationship between Alain, an ex-con man who is trying to rebuild his life from the ground, and his mother, Ivétte, who is struggling with cancer. After 18 months in prison, Alain had to return temporarily to his mother’s place, but there is a visible distance between them, with every attempt of conversation ending up in a quarrel. Upset and frustrated with his life,  Alain leaves home and asks for shelter in a neighbor’s. Before that, he found out that his mother had signed the papers to die without suffering in Switzerland by assisted suicide. I felt a great joy when the pride of mother and son eventually fades out and they reconnect again, even if the means that made it possible have been reproachable. This is a powerful film from a psychological point of view; a bittersweet story, which conveys not only a heaviness that is naturally associated to its theme, but also the beauty of understanding and forgiveness. The nominated for French César awards, Vincent Lindon and Hélène Vincent, were memorable in their roles, in a movie that has the honesty as its main strength. The excruciating final moments crushed my heart, though, despite the uneasiness you might feel, the idea of a calm and comfortable departure is rewarding.

Augustine (2012)

Directed by: Alice Winocour
Country: France

Review: “Augustine” is a fresh period drama that enraptures us, as much as shocks us, with its story of lust covered in gothic tones. Augustine is a simple servant of 19 years old, who has been experiencing crisis of hysteria, ending up in a hospital of the specialty with her right side completely paralyzed. She starts to be seen by professor Charcot, an expert in the disease who got intrigued with her case. His intention was to make a public demonstration of Augustine having a crisis, which would be induced through hypnosis. That way he will be able to prove that hysteria is related to a brain malfunction instead of sorcery or supernatural causes, obtaining the support of the Academy of Medicine to continue his studies. However, a secret and dangerous fascination grows slowly on both doctor and patient, leading to harmful consequences. The outstanding performances by Soko (also a singer) and Vincent Landin, one of the most complete actors coming from France, contrasted with the modest role played by Chiara Mastroianni as Charcot's wife. “Augustine” was wrote with intelligence and shot with accuracy by debutant Alice Winocur, well backed up by George Chenaptois’ keen cinematography and Jocelyn Pook's penetrating music, which were essential to achieve the impressive final results. This story of complicity, intimate secrets, opportunism, and forbidden desires, deserves to be seen, defying ethics and morals.

Capital (2012)

Directed by: Costa Gavras
Country: France

Review: Costa Gavras gives a crushing vision about greed and capitalism in his new political thriller “Capital”. Marc Tourneuil (Gad Elmaleh) is an unscrupulous and ambitious man who was designated CEO of a large European Bank. Regardless the fierce opposition of the board of directors, he will take control of everything in an obsessive way, trying to introduce a new ethic vision and attitude in the company. However, a fraudulent alliance with an American hedge fund will lead him to make dangerous moves, putting the entire company and its shareholders in jeopardy. Gavras uses every detail (maybe even in excess) to denounce the bad conduct, corruption, and opulence, associated to these money suckers. Sex and lust are also depicted through two eminent affairs that Marc will handle in opposite ways; one with Nassim, a provocative and greedy supermodel, and other with an honest and intelligent financial writer named Maud Baron. The notion of tax haven and the concept that money is the master, are pretty clear. Among its moral lessons, “Capital” is a cerebral exposure of socio-economical turbulences, adding a sort of ironic mockery that is entirely new in the filmmaker’s career. Although not totally unpredictable or balanced, and far from the supremacy of other times (“Z”, “State Of Siege”), we can still sense Gavras’ joy in denouncing the hypocrisy of capitalist domains.

Foxfire (2012)

Directed by: Laurent Cantet
Country: France

Review: This overextended second adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ novel “Foxfire” by the talented French filmmaker Laurent Cantet, ended up being considerably better than the first version from 1996 with Angelina Jolie, but could have been much more interesting if better edited and if had shown further expansiveness in terms of emotions. Lacking strength and vitality in several moments, the film minimally caught my interest, especially due to Raven Adamson’s performance in the role of Legs, a smart, dangerous, and feminist revolutionary leader who gathered the girl-gang Foxfire in 1955’s upstate New York. The story started with a very encouraging rhythm, but after the anti-capitalist gang having become obsessed with money, the big adventure fell in typical and questionable situations, conducting its radical feminist ideas to common places. With a suitable score that tries to create more vividness among the mild action scenes, “Foxfire” is often disconcerting and ultimately limited. It’s a shame that its initial intensity have degenerated into scenes where the girls' actions weren’t capable of making this blood sisterhood against men, more convincing and memorable. A sturdy direction and appreciable production design helped making Cantet’s seventh film a watchable-yet-non-rigorous slice of armed revolution.

Calm At Sea (2011)

Directed by: Volker Shlondorff
Country: France / Germany

Review: Veteran German filmmaker Volker Shlondorff shows the same characteristic attributes that made him known in the past, although without presenting anything really new, in this war movie with political and psychological substance. “Calm At Sea” was made in an old-fashioned way, but still conveys some emotional breath, despite its simplistic plot. Set in WWII, the film recreates the true events that happened in the Choiseul internment camp in France, where a group of political French prisoners, most of them communist militants, were condemned to be shot as a reprisal for the assassination of a German commandant in Nantes. Among the condemned was the 17-year-old Guy Moquet, who would become a symbol of the French Resistance, and whose love for a young girl named Odette was used here as emotional bait. The same happened with Claude Lalet, a young student who was about to leave the camp. Apart from these two situations, the brave men accepted their fate without much agitation and the film proceeds calmly to its bitter conclusion. It was interesting to see German officials opposing in secrecy to Hitler’s decision, or a French opportunist betraying his compatriots. The less credible scenes had to do with a troubled German soldier who wasn't able to kill. “Calm At Sea” took into account the real documents written by Pierre-Louis Basse, Ernst Junger (the most curious character in the movie), and Heinrich Boll.

You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet (2012)

Directed by: Alain Resnais
Country: France / Germany

Review: Though this film did not work for me, it was clear that 90 year-old filmmaker Alain Resnais still aims freshness and creativity in his work. The story starts with a group of (real) actors being informed by phone about the death of their friend Antoine D’Anthac, a talented playwright. Before the funeral, their presence was required in one of the deceased's residences, where they will be surprised by a video recording of D'Anthac's play “Eurydice” performed by a group of young actors. This play had been performed before by Antoine's friends, who became so involved that they started to perform it again, recreating Orpheus and Eurydice from other times. Sabine Azéma and Pierre Arditi formed the oldest couple, while Anne Consigny and Lambert Wilson formed the middle-aged one. Therefore, we can follow three different generations performing exactly the same play. This odd meeting filled with nostalgia and theatrical approach wasn’t much appealing to me. It seemed to last forever and I didn’t find it particularly interesting to follow. The end reserves some surprises, but the film isn’t more than a stagy intellectual prank that for long periods of time becomes painful to watch. With masterpieces such as “Marienbad” or “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, Resnais doesn’t have to fear not being remembered. I just think this film doesn't give a valuable contribution to his career.