The film revolves around a thirty-something lawyer who witnesses a violent incident at a wedding reception where she meets an old friend who is accused of the incident while also meeting a former client who would later become her assistant. It is a film that explore a woman and her tumultuous life where she is a single mother with two young daughters, an ex-husband who has become a blogger that has authored a story based on their marriage and being a lawyer with so much chaos in her life. Justine Triet’s screenplay, with additional contributions from Thomas Levy-Lasne, is straightforward in its narrative yet it is more of a character study for the film’s titular character in Victoria Spick (Virginie Efira) as she attends a wedding where she meets her old friend Vincent (Melvil Poupaud) who is with his wife Eve (Alice Daquet) and their dog. A former client in Sam (Vincent Lacoste) was also at the wedding as he was a former drug addict/dealer who has been clean for years but is in near-debt as he is hoping to go into law where Victoria hires him as an assistant as well as to watch her two young children when she’s at work.
Triet’s script also plays into the many complications in Victoria’s life as her ex-husband David (Laurent Poitrenaux) has published a story on his blog based on their marriage claiming it is fictional, but it had a lot of personal things that Victoria does not want to share. Things get worse when Victoria bumps into the bride at the wedding in Suzanna (Sabrina Seyvecou) who confronts her about Vincent as the unfortunate meeting led to a six-month suspension from practicing law. It all plays into Victoria’s sense of cynicism as well as the need for answers as she would go to her psychiatrist (Pierre Maillet) and a tarot card reader (Elsa Wolliaston) for those things. Even in engaging in sexual one-night stands with weird men would prove to be unfulfilling as she is on the verge of an emotional breakdown with Sam watching and trying to help her.
Triet’s direction does have some style in the visuals while much of it is straightforward in its approach to drama. Shot on location in Paris and areas near the city, Triet uses medium shots and close-ups to play into the interaction between characters as well as some key scenes where the first 10 minutes of the film play into the chaos of Victoria’s life as she would attend this wedding as the reception is filled with some crazy moments including animals and other bits. All of this before the title credits appear where Triet prepares everyone for what is to be this whirlwind of a woman’s life as she is about to go into total chaos. Triet does use some wide shots to establish the locations but also the world of courtrooms as they would become a key proponent for the film’s third act. Triet also knows when to slow things down when Victoria is at home or meeting a few people while much of the dramatic intensity occurs during a scene where she visits a bloggers meeting led by David that proves to be too much for her to manage.
Triet also maintains some visual repetition in the scenes where Victoria meets her psychiatrist and tarot card reader in the film’s first and second acts as the period where she is unable to work for six months highlight the messiness of everything where she would faint and pass out. The third act does have elements of dark humor as it plays into Victoria’s cynical view on love and the law where she reluctantly helps Vincent in his case against his wife who had chosen to divorce him because of a past tryst a long time ago. Vincent’s trial is one filled with a lot of humor involving a dog and a chimpanzee while Victoria’s own court battle against her husband is more serious though it plays into the idea of fiction and what can be used. It all plays into a woman on the verge of a breakdown as these two different legal events force her to confront her cynicism as well as figuring out who is there for her in her life. Overall, Triet crafts a compelling and witty film about a woman’s tumultuous life as she is being pushed to the edge.
Cinematographer Simon Beaufils does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key lighting for many of the interior/exterior scenes at night as well as aiming for a naturalistic look for many of the daytime exterior scenes. Editor Laurent Senechal does amazing work with the editing with its stylish approach to montages as well as allowing shots to linger for a bit longer to play into the drama and humor. Production designer Olivier Meidinger does excellent work with the look of Victoria’s apartment in its messy state as well as the look of the courtrooms that Victoria would attend. Costume designer Charlotte Vayasse does fantastic work with the costumes in some of the designer dresses that Victoria and the other women wears as well as the robes the attorney wears.
Makeup artists Charlotte Desnos, Michelle Van Brussel, and Hue Lan Van Duc do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal makeup work in the look of the women as well as the messy state at the wedding reception sequence. Visual effects supervisor Niranjan Siva does wonderful work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects that are set dressing for a few locations. Sound editor Olivier Touche does superb work with the sound in the way sparse sounds are presented in interior locations as well as the sound of a court room and at parties. Music supervisor Thibault Deboaisne does nice work with the film’s music soundtrack that features an array of music ranging from classical to pop music with contributions from Metronomy, Harry Nilsson, Chilly Gonzales, Mel Torme, and Sarah Lancman.
The casting by Cynthia Arra and Youna de Peretti is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from co-writer Thomas Levy-Lasne as the groom, Sabrina Seyvecou as the bride, Arthur Harari as a chimpanzee trainer, Claire Burger as a former lover of Vincent who accused him of rape, Julie Moulier as a judge in Vincent & Eve’s case, Liv Harari and Jeanne Arra-Bellanger as David and Victoria’s daughters, Elsa Wolliaston as the tarot card reader, Pierre Maillet as Victoria’s psychiatrist, and Sophie Fillieres as a friend of Victoria who helps her out early on while also dealing with the chaos that is happening around Victoria. Laure Calamy is fantastic as Victoria’s lawyer Christelle who defends her against David where she tries to help Victoria in the case. Alice Daquet is superb as Vincent’s wife Eve who claims that he stabbed her while later suing him for divorce with claims over what he has done in their marriage though Victoria feels sympathetic towards her despite defending Vincent.
Laurent Poitrenaux is excellent as Victoria’s ex-husband David as this blogger that authored a story based on their marriage that is filled with salacious details that Victoria does not want to reveal publicly as he tries to manipulate the courts about what is fiction and reality. Melvil Poupaud is brilliant as Vincent as an old friend of Victoria that she meets at a wedding where he is accused of stabbing his wife where he asks for her help only to later help him when Eve sues him for divorce following a brief reconciliation that becomes even more toxic. Vincent Lacoste is amazing as Sam as a former client of Victoria who attends the wedding as he asks for a job in being Victoria’s assistant while falling for her as he deals with her troubled lifestyle and emotional breakdown. Finally, there’s Virginie Efira in a tremendous performance as Victoria Spick as a thirty-something lawyer who is raising two young daughters where Efira brings in some humor to her role as a woman that is being pushed to the edge while also yearning for some companion and stability despite her cynicism as it is one of Efira’s finest performances.
In Bed with Victoria is a sensational film from Justine Triet that features a great leading performance from Virginie Efira. Along with its supporting cast, compelling character study of a woman with a chaotic lifestyle, wondrous visuals, and an exhilarating music soundtrack. It is an unconventional comedy-drama that plays into a woman navigating the messiness of her professional and personal life in her search for stability. In the end, In Bed with Victoria is a phenomenal film by Justine Triet.
Justine Triet Films: Age of Panic - Sibyl (2019 film) – Anatomy of a Fall
© thevoid99 2024
The film is the story of a young man who is arrested as it relates to the death of another young man he met in the summer as he tells a case worker and his teacher about what happened in this summer in which he fell in love. It is a film that explore this relationship between two young men and a pact they would make in case one of them dies where something did happen. Francois Ozon’s screenplay has this back-and-forth reflective narrative where its 16-year old protagonist Alexis Robin (Felix Lefebvre) is arrested where he talks to a case worker (Aurore Broutin) about what happened though he is reluctant to divulge into information about his relationship with the 18-year old David Gorman (Benjamin Voisin).
Alexis met David when the former was on a boat that capsized as he was saved by the latter as the two become friends with David’s mother (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) taking a liking to Alexis thinking he would be a good influence on her son. Alexis doesn’t tell his parents (Isabelle Nanty and Laurent Fernandez) about David fearing that his more conservative father would disapprove. The script reveals the pact that they created but also Alexis’ own reluctance to open up as his literature professor Lefevre (Melvil Poupaud) suggests writing about what happened and such. Notably as a young English au pair in Kate (Philippine Velge) was thrown into the mix that created tension between the two young men.
Ozon’s direction definitely bear some style in terms of the looseness of his overall presentation yet a lot of it is straightforward as it is shot on location in Normandy. There are wide and medium shots as it capture the scope of these locations along with some intimate shots at a fishing shop that David’s mother own where Alexis would work at. There are close-ups in Ozon’s direction as it play into the drama where Alexis is being interrogated but also in some emotional moments in the film. There are different tones that Ozon maintain throughout the film with the second act being this lively and romantic film as it relates to these two young men just falling in love but also complications as David is someone that wants to experience different things that include Kate. It would be the source of chaos that would loom throughout the film as well as what happened to David.
Ozon’s approach to the scenes where Alexis is being questioned and interrogated are a bit more claustrophobic in its framing as if the world is closing on Alexis. Notably as he becomes distant with his parents worrying about him including his own father, despite his own conservative views on life, as he tries to reach out to David’s mother. Ozon also play into this pact that Alexis and David make as it is a strange promise the two made but one that needs to be honored. Even as its aftermath ends up being a moment of growth where Ozon ends the film on a cold day signifying not just the end of the summer but the end of a part of Alexis’ life but also the beginning of a new adventure. Overall, Ozon crafts a somber yet intoxicating film about a young man who falls in love with another man during a whirlwind summer in Normandy.
Cinematographer Hichame Alaouie does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of colorful lighting for some of the scenes at night as well as some natural lighting for some of the daytime interior/exterior scenes. Editor Laure Gardette does excellent work with the editing with some jump-cuts as well as other rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and the light-hearted moments in the film. Production designer Benoit Barouh, with set decorator Frederic Delerue and art director Teddy Barouh, does fantastic work with the look of the fishing shop owned by David’s mother as well as the homes of David and Alexis. Costume designer Pascaline Chavanne does brilliant work with the costumes as it play into the look of the 1980s as well as a dress that Alexis would wear for a key scene in the film’s third act.
Visual effects supervisor Mikael Tanguy does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it is largely bits of set dressing for some of the exteriors to give it a 1980s look and feel. The sound work of Jean-Paul Hurier and Brigitte Taillander do superb work with the film’s sound in playing to the atmosphere of the film’s locations as well as how music would sound at a club and on location. The film’s music by Jean-Benoit Dunckel is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that play into the drama and romance while the music soundtrack feature music from the Cure, Bananarama, Rod Stewart, and French/Euro pop music of the 1980s.
The casting by Elodie Demey and Anais Duran is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Antoine Simon as a drunk that Alexis and David meet early in the film, Yoann Zimmer as a friend of Alexis in Luc who doesn’t like gays, Bruno Lochet as a man named Bruno who runs a morgue, Laurent Fernandez as Alexis’ stern yet caring father, Isabelle Nanty as Alexis’ warm and loving mother, and Aurore Broutin as a case worker who is handling Alexis’ case as she tries to find answers knowing the severity of his crime. Melvil Poupaud is superb in his small role as Alexis’ literature teacher who is convinced that something did happen as he knows that the only way to get an answer was for Alexis to write about it. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is fantastic as David’s mother as a woman who is enthralled by the presence of Alexis believing he would be a good influence of her son while later be ravaged by grief and seeking answers. Philippine Velge is excellent as Kate as a British tourist whom Alexis befriends as she unknowingly attracts the attention of David as she didn’t realize she would be the source of tension between Alexis and David.
Finally, there’s the duo of Felix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin in incredible performances in their respective roles as Alexis Robin and David Gorman. Voisin provides an energetic performance as the wilder David as a young 18-year old who is trying to find himself but also is someone who wants to evolve and seek new adventures. Lefebvre’s performance as the 16-year old Alexis is a bit more reserved as someone that is just trying to figure himself out but would also be emotional as it relates to loss and heartbreak. Lefebvre and Voisin together are electrifying in the way they react towards one another but also in how much these two men love each other.
Ete 85 is a sensational film from Francois Ozon. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a study of young love and identity during the 1980s, and a wondrous music soundtrack. It is a film that is this fascinating coming-of-age story that play into young love but also the idea of promises and its effect on many. In the end, Ete 85 is a phenomenal film from Francois Ozon.
Francois Ozon Films: See the Sea - Sitcom - Criminal Lovers - Water Drops on Burning Rocks - Under the Sand - 8 Women - Swimming Pool (2003 film) - 5x2 - Time to Leave - Angel (2007 film) - Ricky - Le Refuge - Potiche - In the House - Jeune & Jolie - (The New Girlfriend) – (Frantz (2016 film)) – (Double Lover) – (By the Grace of God) – (Everything Went Fine) – (Peter von Kant) – The Auteurs #33: Francois Ozon
© thevoid99 2022
Written, directed, and edited by Xavier Dolan, Laurence Anyways is the story about a relationship between a woman and a transgender woman that spans a decade through many trials and tribulations. The film is a love story that is unlike anything as it explores two women in which one of them is born a man as it strays from the conventions of many romantic films. Starring Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clement, Monia Chokri, Yves Jacques, David Savard, and Nathalie Baye. Laurence Anyways is a tremendous and exhilarating film from Xavier Dolan.
Set in the span of a decade till the end of the millennium, the film plays into a tumultuous relationship between a woman and a man who wants to become a woman. It’s a film that plays into this relationship where this man named Laurence (Melvil Poupaud) questions his own identity four years into a relationship with this woman named Fred (Suzanne Clement) as this decision would send everything into a freefall as Fred wonders how she can help him. There in this on-and-off period that spans of a decade, Laurence and Fred not only deal with each other but also themselves where Laurence wonders if he can become a woman while Fred ponders if she can accept Laurence as a woman. What Xavier Dolan does with this story is showcase this man’s desire to become a woman as he wonders if he will be happier as a woman and could do that with Fred.
Dolan’s screenplay is quite complex and grand since it’s a story that does span a decade though it has a very odd structure. Much of the film’s first half takes place from the fall of 1989 to the end of 1990 where Laurence not only deals with his own identity issues but also into how Fred would react and the response from their own families. Whereas Fred tries to help Laurence with becoming and acting like a woman by wearing a dress, earrings, and putting on makeup. Still, it’s an act that would have Laurence lose his job as a literature teacher as several things would lead to issues with Fred. Its second half would be set in 1995 and beyond where both Laurence and Fred lead different lives but still pine for each as Laurence would write a book of poems dedicated to her as they would get a glimpse of the life they would have if they ever get together for good.
Dolan’s direction is truly intoxicating not just in his approach to framing but in exactly how he manages to capture every attention to detail in his direction. While it is a film that largely emphasizes on style, Dolan’s approach to compositions and how he frames his actors into a scene are just hypnotic as well as his camera movements and how he places the camera for a scene. Dolan goes for moments that play into elements of dramatic tension or something has elements of fantasy in a world that is often quite troubling. Dolan’s approach to close-ups and medium shots are engaging along with some unique camera angles that play into some of the humor but mostly for dramatic effect to showcase the anguish between Fred and Laurence.
Also serving as the film’s editor, Dolan definitely maintains a sense of style in his approach as editor where he uses a lot of jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, and other aspects of cutting styles to play into some of the dramatic tension as well as this entrancing opening sequence where people stare at this mysterious person. It’s among these moments where Dolan’s approach to editing and in his direction definitely showcase what he is going to do while his approach to the story is a slow burn to play into Fred and Laurence’s relationship with its many ups and downs. Much of is quite expansive in its storytelling as it plays into the decade in the life of a couple where Dolan knows that there’s a lot to be told as it’s a long film at 168 minutes yet he makes every moment and every frame worth telling. Overall, Dolan crafts a compelling yet visceral film about a relationship between a woman and a man who wants to become a woman.
Cinematographer Yves Belanger does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and stylish photography with its use of color filters for interior scenes at night along with some unique lighting and vibrant colors for the scenes set in the snow. Production designer Anne Pritchard, along with art director Colombe Raby and set decorators Louis Dandonneau and Pascale Deschenes, does amazing work with the set design from the apartment Fred and Laurence lived in during the film‘s first half as well as the home of their parents to the posh home that Fred lived in during the film‘s second half as well as the party sequence that Fred goes to. Costume designers Xavier Dolan and Francois Barbeau do fantastic work with the clothes that Fred and Laurence wear as it’s full of style in its look and personality as it adds to the film’s evocative look.
Hair designers Michelle Cote and Martin Lapointe, with makeup designers Kathy Kelso and Colleen Quinton, do awesome work with the look of the characters as well as Laurence‘s look as a woman and the hairstyle of Fred throughout the years. Visual effects supervisor Jean-Francois Ferland does nice work with some of the minimal visual effects in the film that play into the sense of fantasy surrounding the characters. Sound editor Sylvain Brassard does superb work with the sound from some of the sparse textures of the sound in the locations to some of the crazy elements in the film. The film’s music by Noia is phenomenal as its electronic-ambient score is entrancing that plays into some of the melancholic elements of the film while its soundtrack features an array of music from classical pieces by Sergei Prokofiev, Antonio Vivaldi, Johannes Brahms, and Gustav Mahler to contemporary music from acts like Fever Ray, the Cure, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Visage, Kim Carnes, Celine Dion, and Craig Armstrong.
The casting by Helene Rousse is incredible as it features notable small roles from Yves Jacques as Laurence’s fellow teacher/mentor Lafortune, Monique Spaziani as another teacher in Francine, Mylene Jampanoi and Jacob Tierney as a couple Fred and Laurence meet late in the film, Vincent Plouffe as Fred’s son Leo, Sophie Faucher as Fred’s mother, Vincent Davy as Laurence’s father, and Susie Almgren as a journalist interviewing Laurence late in the film. In the roles of this family of drag queens that Laurence meets, there’s Catherine Begin, Emmanuel Schwartz, Jacques Lavallee, Perette Souplex, and Patricia Tulasne in very lively and funny roles as this family that would help guide Laurence into finding herself. Magalie Lepine Blondeau is terrific as Laurence’s mid-90s girlfriend Charlotte who knows about his feelings for Fred as she would stalk her from afar while David Savard is superb as Fred’s husband in the mid-90s that she would meet at a party as he tries to deal with her mood swings.
Monia Chokri is fantastic as Fred’s very cynical and biting sister Stefie who isn’t very fond of Laurence as well as she tries to see that Fred is thinking about as it’s a role filled with lots of humor. Nathalie Baye is brilliant as Laurence’s mother Julienne as a woman who doesn’t seem close to Laurence as she was in his childhood as she suddenly becomes closer to him once he decides to become a woman. Suzanne Clement is outstanding as Fred as this filmmaker that is trying to cope with her career but also the change in the man she loves as she tries to support him as she conveys the sense of anguish and rage that a woman goes through in her devotion to the one she loves. Finally, there’s Melvil Poupaud in a tremendous performance as Laurence as this man who becomes confused about his own identity as he becomes a woman as it’s a very engaging and transformative performance where Poupaud brings in that sense of anguish but also desire to find himself as a woman.
Laurence Anyways is a magnificent film from Xavier Dolan that features remarkable performances from Melvil Poupaud and Suzanne Clement. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to use style to tell a story about transgender relationships and other off-the-wall things while creating something is also very accessible and bold. Especially in ways that are visually entrancing with a soundtrack that is just absolutely to the point that plays into the emotional aspects of the film. In the end, Laurence Anyways is a sensational film from Xavier Dolan.
Xavier Dolan Films: I Killed My Mother - Heartbeats - Tom at the Farm - Mommy - (It's Only the End of the World) - The Death and Life of John F. Donovan - Matthias & Maxime - (The Night Logan Woke Up) - The Auteurs #46: Xavier Dolan
© thevoid99 2015
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/29/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Written and directed by Zoe Cassavetes, Broken English tells the story of a thirty-something woman living in Manhattan who tries to find love in all the wrong places. After meeting a Frenchman, her life changes as she looks back at her own love life and her own role. The film is an exploration of a young woman trying to find herself and deal with loneliness as well as the possibilities of true love. Starring Parker Posey, Melvil Poupaud, Drea de Matteo, Justin Theroux, Josh Hamilton, Peter Bogdonavich and Rowlands. Broken English is a sweet and charming film from Zoe Cassavetes.
Nora Wilder (Parker Posey) is a thirty-something hotel relations manager living in New York City. While her best friend Audrey (Drea de Matteo) is happily married to Mark (Tim Guinee), Nora however still hasn't had a long-lasting relationship as her mother Vivien (Gena Rowlands) and step-father Irving (Peter Bogdonavich) are worried. Then one day while working at her hotel, she meets an actor named Nick Gabel (Justin Theroux) who asked her out on a date. She says yes but immediately, it becomes another first date that ends with her sleeping with a man and then, that is it with nothing continuing. Even after she learns that he has a girlfriend. When her mother sets her up to date Charlie (Justin Hamilton), the son of her mother's friend, it starts off well until his ex-girlfriend Jennifer (Caitlin Keats) showed up and the date becomes a disaster.
Finally deciding to swear off all of these bad relationships and one-night stands, Nora reluctantly attends the party of her of workers at the hotel named Glen (Michael Panes). There, she meets a charming Frenchman named Julien (Melvil Poupaud) who flirts with her while not wanting to leave her side. The shy, despondent Nora is amazed by the quirky, charming Julien who is more upbeat than her where for the next three days, they enjoy a long date that broke all of the rules. Though an encounter with an ex-boyfriend occurred, it nearly shatters this relationship that starts to build things up as Julien has to return to Paris since he's only in New York City to work on a film. On their final day, he leaves her his number as she returns to her depressed state of mind. While starting to miss Julien, Audrey's marriage is starting to crumble with Mark's work as a film director has become busy.
Deciding to go to Paris to send packages to a couple of friends of Nora's mother, Nora and Audrey take the Paris trip as an escape from their problems. Nora hopes to find Julien while Audrey realizes her crumbling marriage after a lunch with a man (Thierry Hancisse) who was waiting for one of the packages. The two ponder their own roles as Nora decides to look at Paris for herself while continuing her desperate search for Julien.
While the film is essentially a romantic comedy on some aspects, it's really a fresh take on the genre since it's based from the perspective of a woman. Writer/director Zoe Cassavetes really goes for study of this woman whose life is at a turning point while realizing her own failures into relationship until she meets this charming Frenchman. While some audiences might compare this to Sex & the City, the HBO TV series, it lacks the show's humor and charm where Cassavetes instead just goes for a study of romance and loneliness. While the story and character development is strong, it does have a few flaws where it starts off a bit slow and does lack a bit of originality. Particularly the ending that is similar to an ending from another romantic film a few years ago.
Still, Cassavetes observant direction that very stylized works to convey the story while the humor is subtle. The film that is shot both on location in NYC and Paris show the film's different atmospheres and its similarities. Cassavetes goes for that improvisational, verite style that her father's made famous for with some great compositions and scenery of both cities. Cassavetes uses close-ups and movements to convey what the characters are going through and such without any kind of overly-dramatic style that would've ruined the film. Overall, Cassavetes creates a charming, witty little romantic comedy that has style and passion.
Cinematographer John Pirozzi does some fantastic work with the film's exterior shots while the interiors are wonderful to convey the sense of intimacy that Nora and Julien are in during their dates and such. Editor Andrew Weisblum does some fine, cutting style that is more in tradition with French New Wave style that is energetic while not being too fast as it helps the film's pacing for the second and third act. Production designer Happy Massee and art director Peter Zumba does a great look of posh New York City as well as upper-middle class NYC residents with its beds, furniture, and such including the stuff in Paris. Costume designer Stacey Battat costumes are wonderfully stylish with vintage clothing, Fedora hats, and such to convey the world that is New York and Paris. Sound editor Stephen Barden does excellent work in creating the differing atmospheres of both NYC and Paris where the former is a bit chaotic that contrasts with the latter's calmness.
The music by Scratch Massive is very electronic-driven with old-school synthesizers to convey the world of both NYC and Paris in all of its artistry. The soundtrack also includes cuts by Pharcyde and Scratch Massive doing a cover of Marianne Faithful's classic song Broken English from that seminal 1979 of the same name.
The film's casting is wonderful with notable small appearances from Dana Ivey as a friend of Vivien, Michael Panes, Caitlin Keats, Bernadette Lafont as a woman Nora meets in Paris, Thierry Hancisse, Tim Guinee Josh Hamilton, and iconic director Peter Bogdonavich in small, memorable performances. Justin Theroux is great as Nick Gable, an actor who has charms and such while is a bit of an egomaniac as he's a caricature of a lot of actors. Gena Rowlands is excellent as Nora's mother Vivien who ponders what is going on with today's women while trying to help Nora find love in times that she thinks is much tougher. Drea de Matteo is great as Audrey, Nora's best friend who is trying to deal with her crumbling marriage while looking for some escape from her problems in Paris.
Melvil Poupaud is brilliant as Julien, the quirky, charming good man who is passionate about life while trying to help Nora get out of her funk as he guides her into something more lively. Poupaud's performance is fun to watch as he and Posey have great chemistry while speaking English very well as the French actor is still a marvel to watch following his recent appearance in Francois Ozon's 2005 film Time to Leave. Parker Posey is radiant as Nora Wilder. The iconic indie actress definitely gives a performance that reminds her fans of her brilliance in mixing drama as well as her sharp humor that is quintessential Posey. Posey not only brings sympathy to a woman that probably some 30-year old women could relate to while developing from this melancholic person to a woman wanting to break out of her funk. It's Posey at her finest.
Broken English is a fantastic film from film Zoe Cassavetes that features incredible performances from performances of Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud. Fans of romantic comedies will find something refreshing to this gem while fans of Parker Posey will no doubt enjoy Posey in one of her finest performances. In the end, Broken English is a superb film from Zoe Cassavetes.
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Francois Ozon and written by Ozon and Mathieu Hippeau, Le Refuge is the story of a woman whose lover had passed away as she learns she is pregnant. Wanting to isolate herself, she meets up with her lover’s gay brother as he joins her in their grief. The film is an exploration into the world of death as it involves two different people who don’t know each other as they’re connected by someone they know and care for. Starring Isabelle Carre, Louis-Ronan Choisy, Pierre Louis-Calixte, and Melvil Poupaud. Le Refuge is a compelling yet touching drama from Francois Ozon.
When death happens to someone that is loved dearly, the reaction can be overwhelming. For a woman named Mousse (Isabelle Carre), the death of her boyfriend Louis (Melvil Poupaud) from a drug overdose has left her devastated as she also learns she is pregnant. By taking refuge at a country home somewhere in the French coast, she is later joined by Louis’ brother Paul (Louis-Ronan Choisy) who stops by as the two are still trying to comprehend Louis’ death as well as what to do with Mousse’s baby. It’s all part of this story that Francois Ozon and co-writer Mathieu Hippeau are doing where it’s more about these two people, who don’t really know each other, come together based on grief as well as the prospect of someone coming into the world.
While there isn’t much of a story in the script, it’s more driven by characters and their reaction to death as Mousse is living all alone not wanting anyone to know that she is keeping the baby while she is also trying to kick her heroin habit through methadone syrups. The only people that know that Mousse is pregnant is Paul and a handyman named Serge (Pierre Louis-Calixte) who later forms a relationship with Paul. While she and Paul take the time to get to know one another, there are revelations into their own relationships with Louis as both of them do venture out of their own as they also need each other to deal with their grief.
Ozon’s direction is very understated as he doesn’t really aim for a particular visual style as he keeps things simple and to the point. A lot of the compositions are very straightforward but also direct as it’s shot largely in the French countryside near a beach as it represents a world that is calm as well as detached from any sense of a more chaotic world. While there some establishing shots of those locations, Ozon doesn’t go for a lot of close-ups in order to get coverage of the characters and their surroundings while the scenes in Paris are more eerie as well as discomforting. The drama is also restrained in order to capture the characters’ reaction towards their loss where Mousse would make a decision regarding her child in the end of the film as it plays to something much bigger than Louis’ death. Overall, Ozon creates a very delicate yet mesmerizing film about grief and the anticipation for a new person coming into the world.
Cinematographer Mathias Raaflaub does excellent work with the cinematography from the use of low-key colors in the scenes in Paris to using more brighter colors for some of the daytime scenes in the beach and countryside while keeping things low-key in its interior scenes. Editor Muriel Breton does nice work with the editing as it is very simple without a lot of cutting styles with a few rhythmic cuts for a club scene in the film. Production designer Katia Wyszkop does terrific work with the look of the country home that Mousse stays in. Costume designer Pascaline Chavanne does wonderful work with the costumes as it‘s low-key and simple to express the personality of the characters.
Sound editor Benoit Gargonne does superb work with the sound to play up some of the quietness of the film including a few scenes where the piano is played around the house. The film’s music by Louis-Ronan Choisy is amazing as it is melancholic with just the sounds of a plaintive piano and a somber guitar to express the sense of loss in the film.
The casting by Sarah Teper is brilliant as it features mostly a small cast that includes Emile Berling as the drug dealer who gives Louis the fatal drug, Jean-Pierre Andreani as Louis/Paul’s father, Marie Riviere as a woman Mousse meets at the beach, and Claire Vernet as Louis/Paul’s mother who tells Mousse early in the film to get an abortion as Mousse is startled by that comment until Paul later reveals some things about Louis’ relationship with their mother. Pierre Louis-Calixte is very good as the handyman Serge that Paul befriends while Melvil Poupaud is excellent in his small role as Louis. Louis-Ronan Choisy is wonderful as Paul as a man who arrives to see Mousse as he shares his grief over his brother as he later helps her. Finally, there’s Isabelle Carre in a splendid performance as Mousse as a woman dealing with loss and her pregnancy as she tries to come to terms with everything as it’s a very intoxicating performance to watch.
Le Refuge is an enriching yet subtle film from Francois Ozon that is highlighted by the evocative performance of Isabelle Carre. The film is definitely one of Ozon’s most intriguing as well as his most restrained film to date. Even as he goes into further exploration into the world of grief as well as the arrival of a new life. In the end, Le Refuge is a remarkable film from Francois Ozon.
Francois Ozon Films: See the Sea - Sitcom - Criminal Lovers - Water Drops on Burning Rocks - Under the Sand - 8 Women - Swimming Pool - 5x2 - Time to Leave - Angel (2007 film) - Ricky - Potiche - In the House - Jeune & Jolie - (The New Girlfriend) - (Frantz (2016 film)) - (Double Lover) - (By the Grace of God) - Summer of 85 - (Everything Went Fine) - (Peter von Kant) - The Auteurs #33: Francois Ozon
© thevoid99 2013
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/4/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Written and directed by Ozon, Le Temps qui reste (Time to Leave)is the story of a young, successful fashion photographer who learns he is about to die from a brain tumor. Alienating everyone in his life including his boyfriend, he turns to his old grandmother and a waitress for help on reflecting his own life. The film is an exploration into the world of death as a young faces what is inevitable. Starring Melvil Poupaud, Daniel Duval, Marie Rivere, Louise-Anne Hippeau, Christian Sengewald, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and Jeanne Moreau. Le Temps qui reste is a harrowing yet poignant film about death from Francois Ozon.
When death is becoming certain, it always reveals a certain reaction into how one deals with it. In this film, a photographer named Romaine (Melvil Poupaud) learns that he has a malignant brain tumor with very little time to live. Despite the suggestion to do chemotherapy, Romaine decides not to as he starts to push everyone around him including his family, his boyfriend Sasha (Christian Sengewald), and those closes to him leaving the family upset and Sasha heartbroken by Romaine's decision to end the relationship. The only person that Romaine decides to tell is his ailing grandmother (Jeanne Moreau) while he also meets a waitress named Jany (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) who is desperate to have a child with her husband Bruno (Walter Pagano). In these final moments, Romaine decides to settle everything in his life including doing some things for Jany and Bruno as an act of generosity.
What Francois Ozon does with his screenplay is studying the world of death from the view of a 31-year old man. Instead of creating a high, melodramatic, woe-is-me kind of drama, Ozon goes for a realistic yet cynical study of a young man dealing and accepting his fate. It also reveals that Romaine still hasn't changed early on in the film once he is already aware that he's going to die. Ozon could've made him into a full-on, tragic character but instead, he goes for someone that is like everyone. A character that is flawed like everyone who goes into an emotional, existential journey dealing with who he is and everything.
It's in Ozon's screenplay that allows the audience to give their own interpretation about Romaine's behavior and his melancholic state as he recalls childhood flashbacks and how he takes pictures of things around him including his sister, grandmother, Sasha, Jany, and everything else that surrounds him. The pacing that Ozon takes is deliberate to convey the fact that once someone faces certain death, time slows down. The elliptical pacing won't be for everyone, even for a film that has a running time of 77-minutes. It's something that Ozon chooses to do just to give that atmosphere in his directing. Ozon's directing is more fluid than every with every scene and composition, notably the film's final moments where Romaine begins to accept his fate fully. It's by far some of the most beautiful and harrowing shots composed in film.
Helping Ozon in his visual presentation is longtime cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie whose photography is as crisp and elegant in many of the film's exterior settings while the interior shots are wonderfully lit to convey the mood of Romaine in his final days. Art director Katia Wyzkop does wonderful work in creating the different places that Romaine goes from the vast, colorful garden house of his grandmother to the posh world that his parents live. Longtime costume designer Pascaline Chavanne does some amazing costume work for Romaine's mother and grandmother as well as the clothes of Romaine that reveal his descent. Editor Monica Coleman does some wonderful jump-cut and freeze-frame cuts to give the idea that Romaine is taking pictures while the slow, elliptical pacing is deliberate for what Ozon wanted. The sound work by Brigitte Tallandier, Aymeric Devoldere, and Jean-Pierre Laforce do wonderful work in giving the moment of silence to convey Romaine's feelings with the sound of the last scene playing through the credits. The music is filled with classical, orchestral cuts to convey the melancholia while it's largely dominated by the piano pieces of Avro Part.
The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with the performances of minor characters like Ugo Soussan Trabelsi as the young Romaine, Alba Gaia Kraghede Bellugi as the young Sophie, Henri de Lorme as Romaine's doctor and Walter Pagano as Bruno. Marie Reverie and Daniel Duval are also excellent as Romaine's caring parents who are unaware of his fate while dealing with his temperamental attitude. Louise-Anne Hippeau is also good as Sophie, Romaine's suffering, fragile sister who is trying to find some care from Romaine. Christian Sengewald is very good as Sasha who is hurt by Romaine's neglect only to be forced to go into his own as he finally finds some acceptance from Romaine.
Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi is wonderful as the sweet Jany who seeks Romaine to give her a child as she sees him as someone who is nice and beautiful where she is unaware of how important she becomes in his final days. The legendary Jeanne Moreau gives a wonderfully understated performance as Romaine's grandmother who understands that her time is now fleeting as she provides the only sense of comfort and wisdom for Romaine. Moreau remains to be an enigmatic beauty and graceful figure that though she's only in the film for about five minutes, her moment is very lasting. Melvil Poupaud is wonderful as the complex, troubled Romaine where he starts out with an arrogant, indifferent attitude only to develop on what he's going to lose and everything only to gain a sense of self in the end. Poupaud, who looks like Eric Bana, definitely takes risks by making himself physically worn out towards the end of the film as he gives a brave performance.
The 2006 Region 1 DVD of Time to Leave presents the film in widescreen with DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound as it's in English subtitles. The special features of the DVD includes the film's original theatrical trailer as well as several trailers including Gregg Araki's brilliant Mysterious Skin from the Strand Releasing company. Two other special features are featured where the first is 18-minutes worth of deleted scenes including a 30-second conversation between Romaine and his father, three extra minutes of Romaine's grandmother talking about his grandfather, a strange meeting with Bruno, a childhood flashback, Romaine discussing depression with his doctor, an alternate scene involving Sophie's letter, a church scene where Romaine talks about faith and how he felt God abandoned him, and an extended take on the film's final sequence.
The second big special feature is a 76-minute making-of featurette. The special features Ozon with his crew including Jeanne Lapoirie, Pascaline Chavanne, and Katia Wyzkop figuring out everything to shoot. Ozon is hands-on a technical director always looking into the camera while directing his actors to try and act natural while in one sequence, he tells Christian Sengewald about a shot where Ozon replied, "Yeah, you suck". One of the most interesting moments in the making-of is with Jeanne Moreau whose experience and wisdom was in awe of the crew and cast while she helped Ozon cut a few lines to make the dialogue flow better. Moreau talked about working with Ozon since she saw his work as a short-film director and was glad how he can direct her without being intimidated. Melvil Poupaud discusses the joy he worked in Ozon in how he wanted to create such a unique character while discussing how hard it was to become very thin for the part. It's a great making-of featurette that reveals Ozon as a director.
Le Temps qui reste is an entrancing yet enchanting film from Francois Ozon that features a chilling yet brilliant performance from Melvil Poupaud. It's a film that explores the world of death with a very low-key style while channeling all of its complexities in the way one reacts. It's also one of Ozon's most mature features that showcases a once-known cinematic bad boy growing up and taking a heavy subject matter by presenting with such delicacy and care. In the end, Le Temps qui Reste is a remarkable film from Francois Ozon.
Francois Ozon Films: See the Sea - Sitcom - Criminal Lovers - Water Drops on Burning Rocks - Under the Sand - 8 Women - Swimming Pool - 5x2 - Angel (2007 film) - Ricky - The Refuge - Potiche - In the House - Jeune & Jolie - (The New Girlfriend) - (Frantz (2016 film)) - (Double Lover) - (By the Grace of God) - Summer of 85 - (Everything Went Fine) - (Peter von Kant) - The Auteurs #33: Francois Ozon
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin with a script co-written with Emmanuel Bourdieu. Un conte de Noel (A Christmas Tale) tells the story of a family with strained relationships towards one another to reunite for the holidays as they learn that their mother has leukemia. Upon this news, the children deal with their own issues as well as the fraught relationship they have towards their parents. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric,, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Anne Consigny, Melvil Poupaud, Emmanuelle Devos, Chiara Mastroianni, and Hippolyte Giradot. Un conte de Noel is a witty yet somber film from Arnaud Desplechin.
Junon Vuillard (Catherine Deneuve) has just received some terrifying news as she is suffering from a rare disease that can lead to leukemia. Her only chance to beat the disease is a bone-marrow transplant as her husband Abel (Jean-Paul Roussillon) is helping out. With the Christmas holiday approaching, Junon decides it’s time for the whole family to come together which will prove to be a difficult task. The eldest daughter Elizabeth (Anne Consigny) is having her own issues while her 16-year old son Paul (Emile Berling) is suffering from mental illness. With her husband Claude (Hippolyte Giradot) often at work and trying to help, Elizabeth’s youngest brother Ivan (Melvil Poupaud) makes a visit to help Paul out. Both siblings decide to go as Ivan has already sent his twin sons Basile and Baptiste (Thomas and Clement Obled) to their grandparents.
The only other sibling that hasn’t learned about Junon or anything is Henri (Mathieu Amalric). Having been through a lot of trouble while drinking a lot, he hasn’t seen his parents for six years. After losing a lot of money six years ago, Elizabeth paid off Henri’s debts with the condition that he mustn’t see his parents nor Elizabeth. Henri has kept his promise though the only family members he has contacted are Ivan and their cousin Simon (Laurent Capelluto). Simon is a painter who has had a hard time dealing with alcoholism while helping out with his uncle Abel’s fabric dyeing plant. Then one day, Paul decides to meet his uncle Henri revealing what’s happening to Junon as he asks him to attend the holidays.
After writing a letter to Elizabeth, Henri reveals he will be going since he and Paul are the only family members who have the blood type needed for Junon’s bone-marrow transplant. Elizabeth dreads the day of Henri’s arrival as Ivan and his wife Sylvia (Chiara Mastroianni) arrive with Simon while Elizabeth arrives with Paul at the family home. With Henri expected to arrive on Christmas Eve, he instead appears two days early with his girlfriend Faunia (Emmanuelle Devos) in tow. His appearance has received mixed notices as Elizabeth remains cold towards him while Junon is aware that Henri hates her despite going along with the blood test.
With the days of Christmas and Christmas Eve approaching, everyone tries to get along though Henri doesn’t make it easy. Even to the point when a visiting Claude decides to beat him up and leave for a day. Even as Henri continues to drink while hide Paul’s medication with Paul becoming more nervous about being a donor and the idea that Henri might be his father. Faunia spends time with the family as she goes to a museum where she finds Junon where the two went shopping. When a friend of Abel’s mother Rosaimee (Francoise Bertin) visits for the holiday, she sees how much fun Henri and Ivan are having with fireworks while Simon is not involved as Sylvia notices. Rosaimee reveals that Simon holds a torch for Sylvia. Faunia leaves to be with her family though she had a good time despite all of the family drama that is happening.
On Christmas Eve, the tension between Elizabeth and Henri is still boiling though things remain calm during the dinner until Simon disappears following Midnight Mass. With Sylvia eventually finding him, Henri turns to Paul to help him calm down his fears as the family await the day of Junon’s surgery.
Most film about family gatherings during the Christmas holidays are often comical and at times, dramatic. This film however, is different because it revolves around lots of family tension when its matriarch is suffering from a life-threatening disease. Yet, the film opens with the tale of another member of the Vuillard family that isn’t seen. The eldest child Joseph who died at the age of six as he is the source of grief for Elizabeth as she fears death and the source of guilt for Henri. While Ivan wasn’t born when Joseph died, he is seen as the child that tries to be the mediator.
When they all get together, everything is tense though everyone is trying to get along. It’s a film about family and their dysfunctions with one person in Faunia being the outsider. While there’s a lot of drama and some moments of goofing off, it’s all about the possibility of spending the last Christmas with Junon as she faces her bone-marrow transplant from two family members. Both of which, are messes in different ways. The film’s screenplay does an excellent job in exploring the characters and their dysfunctions though it is flawed. Even as some of the characters and their actions aren’t defined clearly.
Arnaud Desplechin’s direction is truly hypnotic for the way he captures many of the film’s intimate yet troubling scenes. Particularly in the family drama where he can mix a scene of tension while inter-cutting it with something as innocent and comical. The humor is subtle while the drama is mostly underplayed except for some of the actions of Henri. Desplechin always keep the camera focused on what is happening and who the characters are looking at. Even as he gives characters a chance to break the fourth wall either to reveal parts of their home or serving as narrators about the letters they’ve written. The film’s opening begins with a funeral that is followed by a puppet-like play about the family and the loss of Joseph. Though the running time of 152-minutes seems like a stretch and the film lags in some places. Desplechin creates a solid yet provocative film about families during the holidays.
Cinematographer Eric Gautier brings a lush, colorful look to some of the film’s dream-like sequences and nighttime exteriors as it is shot on location in Roubaix. Most of the daytime scenes is shot with a mixture of light-blue and gray for the mood of winter with some sunlight shown. Gautier’s work is superb for its mood and dream-like textures for some of the film’s romantic or surreal moments from the perspective of Paul. Editor Laurence Briaud does some excellent work with the film’s stylized editing while maintaining a leisured pace for the film though it does lag in some parts of the film.
Production designer Dan Bevan does a spectacular job with the look of the family home that is surrounded by pictures and all sorts of holiday stuff while maintaining a realness that families can relate to. Costume designer Nathalie Raoul does a wonderful job with the costumes from the ragged look of Henri to the more regal look that Junon has with her dresses. Sound editor Nicolas Cantin, along with mixers Sylvain Malbrant and Jean-Pierre Laforce, do some excellent work with the film’s sound to convey the atmosphere of the family home along with everything else outside of the home. Music composer Gregoire Hetzel brings a lovely, elegant score that is a mixture of plaintive yet soft orchestral pieces and a harpsichord track that is really wonderful. The rest of the film’s soundtrack is mostly filled with pop tunes and Xmas classics.
The cast is definitely wonderful with standouts from small appearances from Azize Kabouche as Elizabeth’s shrink and Samir Guesmi as Spatafora, a friend of the family that Ivan and Simon knew. Thomas and Clemente Obled are wonderfully charming as the twin boys Basile and Baptiste with their joyful innocence while Emile Berling is great as the mentally-troubled Paul who is seeking some comfort from his family while dealing with his mother’s melancholic mood. Hippolyte Giradot is excellent as Elizabeth’s husband Claude who despises Henri while he helps out Abel with the idea that Junon might live longer if she didn’t take the surgery immediately. Laurent Capelluto is very good as Simon, a quiet artist who drinks to soothe his own issues while carrying a torch for Sylvia. Emmanuelle Devos is also good as Faunia, Henri’s girlfriend who has a brief bond with Junon while trying to observe the chaos of Henri’s family.
Francoise Bertin is amazing in her small but memorable role as Rosaimee, an old friend of Abel’s mother who recalls the good days when Elizabeth, Henri, Ivan, and Simon were just kids. Chiara Mastroianni is brilliant as Sylvia, Ivan’s wife who is not liked by Junon though is willing to be the joyful mom as she plays a princess for her twin boys’ play while dealing with Simon’s own feelings for her. Melvil Poupaud is great as Ivan, the youngest child of the family who tries to help Paul while being a mediator between his siblings as he is also the most youthful and vibrant person in the family. Jean-Paul Roussillon is wonderful as Abel, the patriarch of the family who is trying to deal with all of the family drama as well as his wife Junon as he and Catherine Deneuve have a great yet understated chemistry.
Anne Consigny is superb as Elizabeth, Paul’s melancholic mother who still holds a grudge towards her younger brother Henri. Consigny’s performance is definitely marvelous to watch as someone trying to keep her cool while dealing with the idea that she might lose her mother sooner than she thought. Mathieu Amalric is amazing as Henri, the middle child who is an admitted fuck-up while trying to deal with his own issues. Amalric gives a performance that is both comical and dramatic where he can be charming but also play a dickhead. It’s definitely a fun performance to watch.
Finally, there’s the luminous Catherine Deneuve in a radiant performance as Junon. Deneuve’s performance shows a regality that isn’t seen very much in a lot of actors or actresses as Deneuve plays it calm and with such subtlety as a woman who is aware that she might die. Yet, she somehow accepts it somewhat along with the idea that she will be saved. It’s definitely a performance that is filled with class and dignity and who better to show than the legendary Catherine Deneuve.
Un conte de Noel is a superb yet enchanting film from Arnaud Desplechin featuring top-notch performances from Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, and Anne Consigny. While some viewers might have a hard time understanding the characters along with how the French do Christmas. It is still a film that people could relate to though it doesn’t have the kind of slapstick humor that most American viewers could familiarize with. It’s definitely a film that truly captures the drama and hilarity of a family coming together for the holidays. In the end, Un conte de Noel is a remarkable film from Arnaud Desplechin.
© thevoid99 2010
