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.