Delirium Films

I haven't watched anything particularly NEW in the past couple of weeks.  When I say 'new' of course, I'm talking about recently theatrical releases.  Instead, I've been combing through my back log of films that I have acquired over the years and, for some reason or another, neglected to watch up until this point.  A few months ago I finally sat down and watched Andrzej Zulawski's Possession in it's manic, gory, uncut glory.  Today, I sat down to watch it's predecessor, L'important c'est d'aimer.

The film starts off with an actress (Romy Schneider) going through hell on some sort of film set, which we later discover is a pornographic set.  A sneaky photographer (Fabio Testi) takes pictures of her in a compromising moment and she notices him.  Somehow drawn to her, he goes to her house the next day proposing to take more artistic pictures in an attempt to make up for his trespass.  What ensues is a journey into an understanding of pain, sorrow, filth, and, most importantly, love.

Zulawski's camera is almost constantly in motion, resulting in a slightly delirious, borderline manic feeling, only offset by incredible close-ups with amazing orchestral swells.  We are locked into the characters and we want, no, we HAVE to know what is going to happen.  Will they succeed or fail miserably?  The film does not provide any definitive answers to the more basic questions, but instead offers suggestions for the viewer to take in and digest.

At the heart of it all, it is a love story between people who are caught in a sticky web of failure.  They're all failed artists.  A failed actress reduced to pornographic films and dubbing work.  Her husband (Jacques Dutronc), with multiple failed ventures and an obsession with authentic photographs of classic film stars.  It is the photographer who seeks to try and provide them with some success, a venture which fails pretty miserably, but it is through these actions that each character finds a sort of closure and a chance to move on, albeit in unexpected ways.

Zulawski has a reputation for making artistically controversial and often violent films.  His films, while excessive in some areas, still are incredibly unique in how he handles eroticism and emotion.  The characters in this film, speak quite frankly, but simultaneously they do not give themselves away to each other, making the character dynamics more complex.

This film is not for the faint of heart.  There are moments that made my skin crawl, but I do not take those moments as a reason to not watch a film.  On the whole, the story is intriguing, the pacing is excellent, the technique is strong, and the acting was top notch.  Stellar performances from the three leads and a wonderful supporting role from Klaus Kinski made this film superbly enjoyable.

Nouvelle Fairy Tales

Catherine Breillat has been dubbed, in the past, as "The Bad Girl of Contemporary French Cinema" and while her recent take on the fairy tale of The Sleeping Beauty is not particularly shocking or risqué, it is still an entertaining exercise in the style of New Wave.

Originally a made for TV film, it was later released in a limited theatrical run and some festival play.  Telling the tale of the girl who is cursed from birth to fall into a 100 year sleep at age 16, Breillat's version takes great liberty in it's lore, while simultaneously telling a story about preservation and love.  The central character is Anastasia (played for the majority of the film by newcomer Carla Besnainou,) a rambunctious princess who loves reading the dictionary and listening to the ticking of clocks and imagines herself as a knight.  From birth she is cursed by a witch (for no real specific reason I might add) to die at age 16.  Three other witches intervene and use their powers so that she will instead fall into a sleep for 100 years at age 6 and wake up aged 16, but while she sleeps she live in a fantastic dreamscape.

In the dreamscape, she meets Peter, whom she almost instant falls in love with but who is stolen from her by the Ice Queen.  What follows is her search for Peter and the many strange and interesting character's she meets along the way.  All while learning the different ways that people grow mentally and emotionally.

Breillat favors long takes, frank dialogue, and honest emotional output from her actors, never afraid to expose the beautiful and ugly things that people do to each other.  Thematically, the film is about growing up in a fantasy world and the joys and dangers that come with that.  When Anastasia does finally wake up, it's in a world much different from dreamscape, where things are not quite what they seem.  It poses a question, can love transcend time?

Since it was designed as a TV film, the budget constraints were considerable.  However, because of the minimalist new wave style the film still retains a very entertaining quality about it.  Not for the people who love special effects, explosions, and other visceral types of things, but for those who enjoy a more cerebral experience.  I found myself specifically drawn to Breillat after watching a documentary called Great Directors (which, incidentally, you can watch on Netflix Streaming.)  She's a survivor.  Her early career in the late 70s was almost destroyed by critics who found her work to be offensive.  She doesn't pull her punches and has a naturalistic approach to sexuality.  That scares people sometimes, but I absolutely love it.

As I said before, not for the average movie-goer, but the film kept my attention and it's only 1hr 27min so what's to lose?  If you've ever met someone and felt yourself thinking "This guy needs to read a bloody book once in a while." The Sleeping Beauty will not disappoint you.  It's available on Netflix Instant along with 4 other works from 2002-onward.  Check it out!