A Girl Cut in Two @ The Sydney Film Festival
June 16th 2008 23:40
Claude Chabrol was one of the founders of the Nouvelle Vague in 1960s France, leading the way along with Godard and Truffaut. I haven't seen anything by Chabrol, not even his groundbreaking early work, so perhaps I'm the wrong critic to examine his latest, "A Girl Cut in Two", from the Sydney Film Festival.
Instead, I trust that this remark, from the excellent review on european-films.net, is close to the mark:
"Much like Woody Allen, French director Claude Chabrol seems unable to live without making movies and after a glory period that decidedly belongs to the past, he now makes a new film of varying quality each year. His latest film La fille coupée en deux (The Girl Cut In Two) however, could be dubbed Chabrol’s Match Point "
The writer uses Allen's "Match Point" as "A Girl Cut in Two" also features a love triangle, as you might guess from the title, but also as a film that brings the director back into focus. Indeed, Allen's work was on the verge of dismissal before he wowed critics with "Match Point", and Chabrol, who has been working tirelessly over the decades, is enjoying celebratory handshakes at the film festivals.
Ludivine Sagnier plays Gabrielle, a local TV weathergirl, who is instantly admired by famed author Charles Saint-Denis (played wonderfully by François Berléand) and rich playboy Paul (Benoît Magimel). The story is quite pedestrian, rarely exceeding any expectations, but where it shines is in its critical examination of the upper-class French, who live like a new breed of monarchy. Chabrol mercilessly makes the rich look tortured by wealth, bored by life, and incapable of any emotion other than greed and lust.
Sagnier has always been an actress that I've admired; despite her youthful age, she's surprisingly comfortable in front of the camera, easily blending emotions on screen. She's warm with her mother, funny with her lovers, and when she cries, you'd almost cry, too.
"A Girl Cut in Two" takes its time to get moving - one almost feels like Chabrol is sprinting through the opening scenes, hurridly trying to introduce his characters so he can dive into the meat of the story. After all, how many introductory sequences has he filmed in his long career?
The film loses some of its weight by a clumsy script, with a story pushed along with little explanation or suggestion. We're meant to read between the lines, but, at some point, after all the snickering at aristocrats, it's hard to stay focused.
Men are skewered handily, with all the men portrayed as lusty old perverts, or spoiled brats. Chabrol's stepdaughter and wife helped pen the screenplay, and though the film gives the author, Saint-Denis, a look of elegant refinement, we see a dark side to the fame and power of men. It's not pretty. Is that what we are? Certainly, it's not surprising, which is, perhaps, the greatest terror of "A Girl Cut in Two".
I say: I found the film enjoyable and funny, with just enough witty dialogue to keep you wrapped up. The story derails in the third period, but, by then, you're committed.
See it for: Outstanding performances from the cast, filled with established French actors.
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