Art film, Asia Argento nude – worth a rent, I suspected (for the art film thing, obviously).
Initial Thoughts:
- Bitching and lies behind closed doors – could be another Dangerous Liaisons, could be Merchant Ivory slop. Hard to tell.
- This isn’t Merchant Ivory dross. And I finally knew this whilst realising Asia Argento cannot fake an orgasm to save her life.
- “The feelings you stirred in my heart at 20, she has revived in a heart of 30...” Hmmm – not the greatest way to end a quick afternoon bonk.
- Got to love period lipstick lesbianism, right?
- Time for a flashback, to where it all began.
Moving On:
- A terrible first date...a filthy laugh...a ludicrous duel...and we got love. Pity the old fellow – he deserved better.
- The Algerian years – had a daughter, she died, we bonked next to the funeral pyre, came home...the usual...Did they film this lot in one day?
Final Moments:
- Marriage, and settling down for a depressing life of sobbing on a windy coastline.
- “That way, at least someone will remember.”
Aftermath:
A wispy young man (looking like every male brit-fop guitarist of the nineties), known as something of a cad, is due to marry a pretty and naive young heiress with the blessing of several nosy, gossipy elderly associates of both youths. Alas, the man has a beautiful mistress whom he has known and loved or argued with for so long that he is ultimately unable to resist treating her better than his wife, a matter not made easier on the wife when the mistress so actively pursues the husband.
A piece of French Costume Drama meets seventies drama-porn piece of fluff, this is far less bitchy and snooty and ...well, French than I had expected: rather, it is about doomed marriage gliding through lost innocence, broken hearts and rediscovered love against the warnings of jaded, aging superiors. The liberal determination of sexuality and dominance in relationships is rather more daring than the film perhaps intended to present, but I am unfamiliar with the novel it is apparently based on and have no familiarity with the previous films of the director (Catherine Breillat), so I could be misjudging this. The flirting and voyeurism are indisputably familiar from the likes of Dangerous Liaisons, but the tone is rather different – the curious elders criticising or observing the experiences of youth and middle age in the same manner Maggie Smith manages so frustratingly, so often (not knocking her as an actress, but there does come a point her name puts me off seeing a film because I can predict the character will have me seething with frustration).
Fu'ad Ait Aattou, as the male lead, is a fairly classic case of dude looks like a lady – his feminine face barely masking masculine aggression. Clearly not an experienced actor, he nevertheless brings a wavering determination to the role that is in keeping with the requirements of portraying the character.
I struggle to understand the loathing some people show towards Asia Argento. She has, quite often, issues with talking in a foreign language and still portraying the words according to the needs of the character performance (hardly unusual), but she always uses those expressive eyes and mouth to fine effect. It’s not my being lusty here – she just knows how to convey inner turmoil better than most modern film actresses. Here, as the titular character, she captured the delicate treachery and denial, sardonic or frustrated and depressed moods of the character exquisitely. Only her nineties style porn actress attempts at faking climax fall short (hilariously so).
Together, the leads are superb, their need for each other and feeling of emptiness when apart shown with a finely disguised despair. Their relationship seems slightly less shocking in their behaviour in public (despite the reactions of others) than in private – these two seem to have a craving for each other’s blood that would not be out of place in a vampire film!). The performances of the older members of the cast are all superb – watching one of them become exhausted as the story of the previous decade is told was charming, and raised recognised love and heartache in a far lighter manner than I was expecting, without pushing the whole episode into comedy.
This is a very attractive, colourful (not over stylised) and watchable - if rarely all that enjoyable – film featuring many interesting conversations without the need for too many specifically important lines. It really would have benefitted had the details after the wedding been told in five or six minutes rather than around half an hour. Also, the film suffers from some budgetary constraints in the settings and shots (really, the scenes in Algeria could have been filmed over a few hours in any one of dozens of countries) and the climax, sad to say, is a pretty throwaway “have you heard..?” moment - rather than showing the audience what happened - which is pretty weak and lets the many positives about the film slightly harder to reflect upon immediately afterwards. But overall, this is pleasing eye candy and a familiar enough story told in a surprisingly interesting and engaging manner.
Grade C+ (Take The Time)
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