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hearthesilence wrote: Mon May 07, 2018 3:51 am Surprised no one has written about this yet, especially when it already premiered at the NYFF in October and opened in France a week or two earlier.

The title is pretty cloying. Getting that out of the way, this is a great film and for me her strongest work since 35 Shots of Rum. Worth seeing twice, not because it's difficult - it's very accessible - but because it's a fairly rich and layered work. A pretty verbose film, a transcript of the dialogue would probably read like a fully realized play, but what Denis makes of this material is quite remarkable. (And the way she does it look effortless as well.)

The editing throughout the film is exceptional, particularly a long scene between Isabella and an actor who may or may not be offering an opportunity - in a conversation where direct questions can't be asked and a listener is poring over every word as soon as it's spoken, she knows exactly when to show which party and how close she needs to show them.

In another scene built on the tension of asking a question Isabelle is embarrassed to ask, knowing when to cut is crucial - any cut will disrupt/relax the tension, but filmed as a long and static take, the scene would probably deflate if held too long. She drops in one brief shot, and looking back, there's really no other place that would have worked as well.

And much has been made of the dialogue. film has the luxury of dealing with intelligent and articulate characters - but the men also give away quite a bit about what they want themselves when they're talking to Isabelle about someone else. It's all wonderfully written and impeccably acted.

Juliette Binoche and Claire Denis have been giving Q&A's at Lincoln Center and IFC. I missed them but I'm certain Lincoln Center will eventually upload them on YouTube or elsewhere. From my experience, Binoche is usually great, talking about the process in great detail (she's possibly the most edifying guest I've encountered at any Q&A) and doing it with great charm, so definitely go if you get a chance.

senseabove wrote: Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:18 pm I know this Denis visit is likely for Let the Sunshine In special features..[/url]

371229 wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 8:32 pm

senseabove wrote: Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:18 pm I know this Denis visit is likely for Let the Sunshine In special features..[/url]

God, let's hope not. I think it is one of her worst films. I saw it at a Film Festival and everyone around me hated it too.

swo17 wrote: Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:07 pm Running the credits over that scene is the best cinematic decision I've seen in years, you completely missed the point

*Actually, on reflection, the endings of Good Time and Call Me by Your Name were similarly effective--maybe I just have a type

swo17 wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:19 pm

Spoiler

I took the ending to have happened before the rest of the film, with Depardieu serving as a kind of fortune teller suddenly providing a guiding force to what had initially seemed like Binoche's aimless romantic wanderings throughout the film. I think having the actors' names start to appear on the screen as they're being "introduced" through the dialogue works as a punchline to the joke.

swo17 wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:19 pm

Spoiler

I took the ending to have happened before the rest of the film, with Depardieu serving as a kind of fortune teller suddenly providing a guiding force to what had initially seemed like Binoche's aimless romantic wanderings throughout the film. I think having the actors' names start to appear on the screen as they're being "introduced" through the dialogue works as a punchline to the joke.