| for Tribune : Stephane Brize's NOT HERE TO BE LOVED [7/10] |
|
|
| Monday, 11 June 2007 | |
|
----------------------- Not Here To Be Loved France 2005 Starring : Patrick Chesnais, Anne Consigny Director : Stephane Brize ----------------------- STILL waters run persuasively deep in Not Here To Be Loved, a startlingly dry - and ineffably "French" - comedy/romance in which almost every word, gesture and shot is weighted and placed for maximum effect. The story of an unlikely relationship which blossoms between divorced, J.Alfred Prufrock-ish, 50-year-old bailiff Jean-Claude (suitably hangdog Chesnais) and Francoise (Anne Consigny), the significantly younger woman he meets at a tango class may be, if anything, a little too restrained, slow-burning and subtle for some. Patient (older?) viewers, however, will find many rewards in this deliciously poised, impeccably-observed fable of lonely lives redeemed by the possibility of a second chance: for Jean-Claude, this may be his final opportunity to embrace life and grasp the possibility of happiness; Francoise, meanwhile, is experiencing understandably cold feet as her marriage to kvetching, pudgy would-be novelist Thierry (Lionel Abelanski) draws nearer and nearer. Though unremarkable to look at, notably light on dialogue (the script can't have been more than a couple of dozen pages long) and ploughing seemingly over-familiar terrain (workplace discontents; perils of loneliness; middle-aged dissatisfactions; oppressive bourgeois ennui; family strife), Not Here to Be Loved gradually establishes a distinctive character of its own. This is one of those rare films where very little seems to be going on while you're actually watching it, but as soon as its over you realise the extent of its skill and accomplishment. Hats off, then, to Brize, his co-writer Juliette Sales and their excellent ensemble of actors - this film is conspicuously well-cast down to the smallest of roles, with veteran Georges Wilson (father of Matrix star Lambert!) a particular misanthropic (if ultimately poignant) delight as Jean-Claude's infuriatingly crotchety, Monopoly-obsessed papa. Not Here To Be Loved is about as glum as a picture can be and still be considered a comedy - which is, in the end, all part of its audaciously low-key charm. Neil Young for the current issue of Tribune magazine  original review (from Tromso Film Festival, January 2007) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
