Alain Resnais has always been an enigmatic filmmaker. This film is him whether you love it or hate it. The criticisms of his work, even his most acclaimed work like LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD, call his films style without substance and lacking real human emotion. Same could be said about this film. His films are more philosophy, especially the philosophy of cinema. While I became more and more baffled by this film as it went along, I still found myself captivated.
Marguerite Muir (Sabine Azema, SAME OLD SONG) goes shopping for a particular pair of shoes. On the way out of the store, her purse is snatched. Georges Palet (Andre Dussollier, AMIELE) finds her wallet in the parking lot. He takes it to the police and leaves his number for Marguerite to call if she wants to. When she calls he is rude to her and then he becomes obsessed with her, writing and calling constantly.
Resnais seems to be mashing up various conventions of the thriller and romantic comedy genres. Both types of films are driven by passions. Georges is an odd man who becomes obsessed with this woman he has never met before. Is he a romantic or something more sinister? His father was obsessed with flying, but never fulfilled his dream, and Marguerite is a pilot. Through a narrator and voice over, we get the thoughts of the characters. Georges should keep some of his thoughts to himself.
The film builds real tension in the vein of a FATAL ATTRACTION type of suspense film, then Resnais turns that plotting in an instant to an ironic romcom. There are even gags that seem lifted from sitcoms. The director even toys with conventions right up until the end. Using the title card Fin to make us laugh and scratch our heads.
At 88, Resnais is still experimenting. He intrigues the viewer with a story we cannot guess where it is going, but leaves us scrounging for his point in the end. He hints at a dark past for Georges, but never explains it. Marguerite becomes friendly with Georges beautiful wife Suzanne (Anne Consigny, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY), who we wish would express something about her husband's passions and stop being so accepting and French about it all. Then we have Marguerite's friend Josepha (Emmanuelle Devos, READ MY LIPS), who hates Georges one moment and loves him the next. And who knows anathema last scene has to do with any of it. Resnais and cats.
Resnais fans will find the filmmaker still pushing boundaries and expectations. Simple lovers of cinema will see a filmmaker clearly in control of his craft in a provocative way. Whether it works is another question entirely. I guess it depends on your own passions.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
