Finally got around to watching this. An exquisite, exceptional picture as per usual with Claire Denis (though I dont love *all* of her stuff). In fact, I think it may likely be her best film since LIntrus a decade ago. Because what is particularly exceptional here is the way in which Denis has refined and perfected her style, her mode of expression, in its application toward fairly conventional melodramatic material. For one thing, its hardly melodramatic. She dials down most of that sort of easy sensationalism, advancing instead an aesthetic of formal concentration, stillness and sophistication. That elevates the material by taking it seriously, making it rich, resonant and meaningful without ever disavowing the sensational implications or underpinnings, the melodramatic foundation and center. This approach is the best kind of sophistication and pays off in other ways too. Just as she doesnt call undue attention to the sordid nature of the material, she also doesnt call any undue attention to the radical nature of her whole aesthetic, her cutting and pacing, etc. Compare that to most of her other work in which that is made undeniable. I dont *prefer* this but it works well here because it really does contribute to that refinement I mentioned. Because its really a radical redefinement of what is possible within narrative technique. Here she ostensibly gives you very little but I dont think you ever really stop to question it. You absorb it all and understand it well enough. You get what is necessary. Its an employment of Denis ellipses and subtlety to advance, deepen and heighten the form. She is aided by the typically supple cinematography of Agnès Godard, emphasizing texture and physicality, and an extra sensitive score by Tindersticks. If ultimately I like this movie less than LIntrus or Beau Travail its only because I ultimately prefer poetry to prose, though thats a negotiable position depending and this is about as good as prose gets.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:48:04 +0000
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