Sorry for being MIA for so long. After a hectic exam period, I fled the country for respite, and it turns out the internet is a bit sketchy in China, especially when earthquakes in Taiwan ruin some data cables or whatnot. Despite a bit of jet-laggedness, I am fully functioning so let me try to finish up my thoughts on these french films.
Caché (imdb)
Another “thriller,” this time political in nature. The acclaimed film, “Hidden,” seemed rather interesting and creepy upon first glance of its US trailer. A family receives an anonymous video tape that is a film starring… themselves. This stalkerish surveillance is a scary thought, but the sense of danger fades as you watch the tape, and an almost still image is shown on screen for what seems an eternity. Some scary pictures are drawn and left at the doorstep of the family as well, but the slow pacing of the film lessened the tension for me. Perhaps I ought to revisit this flick someday and try harder at seeing what all the fuss is about, but until then… it stays on the shelf.
Beau Travail (imdb)
Film made for the sake of art is a funny thing. As nice as the pictures on screen are, I’m feel detached and uninterested. When an indie flick tries too hard to be different (”indie-ish” is the technical term), I get annoyed. When an arthouse film breaks away from any standard narrative-based moviemaking, I’m bored AND annoyed. With Beau Travail, I felt the latter. The film is a pretty assortment of images and sounds, but the lack of dialogue and a strong storyline (an adaptation of Billy Budd) leaves too much for me to desire. Images of half-naked male soldiers conducting dance-like training exercises may interest the critic and interpretive film lover; I, on the otherhand, want to see a developed storyline and maybe some interesting characters. The movie is interesting in how it functions like a work of art, say a painting, at a museum. You watch it and try to figure out what the artist is saying with his piece. Beau Travail is engaging in that aspect but also ambiguous and a bit tedious for a more casual movie goer.
Are there any satisfying french films that I might suggest? Well yes - actually quite a few. The recent action packed District B13 (imdb) was quite exciting and worth a gander. Stunts galore, this movie has an amazing opening chase sequence, and choreographed fights that put many of Jet Li’s American flicks to shame.
Furthermore, The Triplets of Belleville (imdb) was entertaining, fun, and cute. It’s a fresh take on animation when you’re tired of the 3D computer stuff. The flick has great music too.
Finally, any movie made by Jean-Pierre Jeunet has tickled my fancy as well. Amélie anyone? Well, I loved it too and his other flicks (see Delicatessen) - we’ll talk more about that another day, though. I guess I don’t completely hate french film since there are a bunch of flicks that I truly do enjoy. From now on though, I’m going to steer clear of those french “thrillers.”
January 18th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
I really enjoyed the three that I’ve seen from your list (the only one missing for me is “Beau Travail”. I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the things that I love most about “The Triplets of Belleville” is Madame Souza - and when she breaks out the tune at the triplets home and goes into a bad rendition of a traditional Portuguese ballad, I nearly cried with excitement.