SAI
10-21-2005, 06:12 AM
Saw two films at the London Film Festival yesterday.
Backstage
Dir: Emanuelle Bercot
Cast: Emmanuelle Seigner, Isild Le Besco
http://a69.g.akamai.net/n/69/10688/v1/img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/35/62/45/18439203.jpg
Lucie (Le Besco) is a huge fan of pop star Lauren Waks (Seigner) but when Lucie's mother arranges for Lauren to come to their house and sing for Lucie as part of TV show Backstage Lucie freezes and locks herself in her room.
Taking at face value Lauren's comment that she'd like to see her again Lucie follows her idol to Paris and they become unlikely friends.
Backstage is an interesting film and deals with the subject of celebrity from a different angle than we've really seen before, the side fans bear the responsibility for.
There's plenty of quality in the telling of the story too. Director Bercot begins the film shooting Seigner beautifully, almost with a glow about her, and allows that to degenerate as the film goes on, ending up gariny and handheld.
There's also a pair of magnificent performances from the leads. Le Besco, just 22, is a rising star of French cinema and the role of Lucie was written specifically for her. She's wonderful in it from the first moment she see's Seigner we buy into her obsession so extreme is her reaction and from there until the upsetting climax she strikes barely a false note. It's to Le Besco's credit that Lucie is a sympathetic character by the end of the film, as her actions wouldn't ordinarially provoke empathy but Le Besco brings an innocence to the role which means you can't help but feel for her.
Seigner is also excellent as a character who seems to be imprisoned by her fame and unable to relate to just about anyone (which just about convinces us of why she'd take in Lucie). It's also worth noting that Seigner does all her own vocals as Lauren and her smoky voice is quite a pleasure to listen to.
There are, however, two chasmic flaws in Backstage.
First of all though Seigner's vocals are fine Lauren's music is insipid; vaguely 80's dance pop and not even a very good example, think Rachel Stevens rather than Goldfrapp. This damages the film for the simple reason that, great as Le Besco is, it's hard to believe that Lucie would be obsessed with somone whose music is so mediocre.
More damaging though is the inescapable sense that not only is Backstage not as good a film as there is to be made about this subject but that Bercot may in fact have made a better film.
Backstage feels like it has been edited into submission. Moments crop up from nowhere (why is Lauren paying Lucie's mother?) and there's one puzzling sequence that is so uclear as to whether it is a fantasy or not that it simply becomes annoying.
It's a shame because the central performances give you a glimpse of the better film Backstage might have been.
3/5
Le Temps Qui Reste
Dir: Francois Ozon
Cast: Melvil Poupaud, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Jeanne Moreau
http://a69.g.akamai.net/n/69/10688/v1/img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/35/82/02/18427133.jpg
After Romain (Poupaud) collapses at work he expects medical tests to reveal that he has AIDS. The news is much worse. With a diagnosis of terminal cancer and 3 months to live Romain sets about trying to make the most of his remaining time and tells no one but his Grandmother (Moreau) of his illness.
Lets get the bad news out of the way first. It's not as good as 5 X 2. Then again you can say that about most films. Make no mistake the new film from France's most prolific and most consistent director is yet another great.
Ozon is reknowned for his touch with actresses, notably he drew great performances from the whole cast of 8 Women and an excellent English language debut from Ludivine Sagnier for Swimming Pool. This is his first film since Water Drops on Burning Rocks to throw the focus almost completely on a male character and it shows Ozon to be just as adept directing a male star.
Poupaud is in almost every shot of the film and he's excellent, even without much dialogue he gets across the emotions of the character. There's also the physical aspect of Poupaud's performance, he dieted throughout production (which was in sequence) and by the final scene on the beach is painfully thin. It is a shame, to a certain degree, to seen Ozon resort to such a cliche as the character shaving his hair off when he's depressed but he shoots it so beautifully and it makes Poupaud look so ill that it works.
There's sterling support from Ozon's 5 X 2 star Valeria Bruni-Tedschi, terrific in a brief role as a waitress with a sterile husband who asks Romain to have sex with her so she can have a child.
Jeanne Moreau's role is just a cameo (a fact belied by her second billing) but she's very effective and her warm scenes with Poupaud keep the early part of the film from being maudlin.
As with all of Ozon's work it's not for everyone. Romain is gay and the fact is rather explicitly explored, to a degree that might put off some audiences but frankly if you're so closed minded you probably aren't even thinking of seeing this film.
In summary Le Temps Qui Reste sounds a depressing film but it's not. As with My Life Without Me we don't have to suffer through a deathbed scene and Ozon has enough intelligence as a writer to leaven the depressing material with some comedy and several quotably wry lines.
As visually lush as we've come to expect from Ozon and as well acted as any film I've seen this year Le Temps Qui Reste continues Ozon's exceptional record; 8 features into his career and he's yet to make anything even remotely crap.
5/5
Backstage
Dir: Emanuelle Bercot
Cast: Emmanuelle Seigner, Isild Le Besco
http://a69.g.akamai.net/n/69/10688/v1/img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/35/62/45/18439203.jpg
Lucie (Le Besco) is a huge fan of pop star Lauren Waks (Seigner) but when Lucie's mother arranges for Lauren to come to their house and sing for Lucie as part of TV show Backstage Lucie freezes and locks herself in her room.
Taking at face value Lauren's comment that she'd like to see her again Lucie follows her idol to Paris and they become unlikely friends.
Backstage is an interesting film and deals with the subject of celebrity from a different angle than we've really seen before, the side fans bear the responsibility for.
There's plenty of quality in the telling of the story too. Director Bercot begins the film shooting Seigner beautifully, almost with a glow about her, and allows that to degenerate as the film goes on, ending up gariny and handheld.
There's also a pair of magnificent performances from the leads. Le Besco, just 22, is a rising star of French cinema and the role of Lucie was written specifically for her. She's wonderful in it from the first moment she see's Seigner we buy into her obsession so extreme is her reaction and from there until the upsetting climax she strikes barely a false note. It's to Le Besco's credit that Lucie is a sympathetic character by the end of the film, as her actions wouldn't ordinarially provoke empathy but Le Besco brings an innocence to the role which means you can't help but feel for her.
Seigner is also excellent as a character who seems to be imprisoned by her fame and unable to relate to just about anyone (which just about convinces us of why she'd take in Lucie). It's also worth noting that Seigner does all her own vocals as Lauren and her smoky voice is quite a pleasure to listen to.
There are, however, two chasmic flaws in Backstage.
First of all though Seigner's vocals are fine Lauren's music is insipid; vaguely 80's dance pop and not even a very good example, think Rachel Stevens rather than Goldfrapp. This damages the film for the simple reason that, great as Le Besco is, it's hard to believe that Lucie would be obsessed with somone whose music is so mediocre.
More damaging though is the inescapable sense that not only is Backstage not as good a film as there is to be made about this subject but that Bercot may in fact have made a better film.
Backstage feels like it has been edited into submission. Moments crop up from nowhere (why is Lauren paying Lucie's mother?) and there's one puzzling sequence that is so uclear as to whether it is a fantasy or not that it simply becomes annoying.
It's a shame because the central performances give you a glimpse of the better film Backstage might have been.
3/5
Le Temps Qui Reste
Dir: Francois Ozon
Cast: Melvil Poupaud, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Jeanne Moreau
http://a69.g.akamai.net/n/69/10688/v1/img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/35/82/02/18427133.jpg
After Romain (Poupaud) collapses at work he expects medical tests to reveal that he has AIDS. The news is much worse. With a diagnosis of terminal cancer and 3 months to live Romain sets about trying to make the most of his remaining time and tells no one but his Grandmother (Moreau) of his illness.
Lets get the bad news out of the way first. It's not as good as 5 X 2. Then again you can say that about most films. Make no mistake the new film from France's most prolific and most consistent director is yet another great.
Ozon is reknowned for his touch with actresses, notably he drew great performances from the whole cast of 8 Women and an excellent English language debut from Ludivine Sagnier for Swimming Pool. This is his first film since Water Drops on Burning Rocks to throw the focus almost completely on a male character and it shows Ozon to be just as adept directing a male star.
Poupaud is in almost every shot of the film and he's excellent, even without much dialogue he gets across the emotions of the character. There's also the physical aspect of Poupaud's performance, he dieted throughout production (which was in sequence) and by the final scene on the beach is painfully thin. It is a shame, to a certain degree, to seen Ozon resort to such a cliche as the character shaving his hair off when he's depressed but he shoots it so beautifully and it makes Poupaud look so ill that it works.
There's sterling support from Ozon's 5 X 2 star Valeria Bruni-Tedschi, terrific in a brief role as a waitress with a sterile husband who asks Romain to have sex with her so she can have a child.
Jeanne Moreau's role is just a cameo (a fact belied by her second billing) but she's very effective and her warm scenes with Poupaud keep the early part of the film from being maudlin.
As with all of Ozon's work it's not for everyone. Romain is gay and the fact is rather explicitly explored, to a degree that might put off some audiences but frankly if you're so closed minded you probably aren't even thinking of seeing this film.
In summary Le Temps Qui Reste sounds a depressing film but it's not. As with My Life Without Me we don't have to suffer through a deathbed scene and Ozon has enough intelligence as a writer to leaven the depressing material with some comedy and several quotably wry lines.
As visually lush as we've come to expect from Ozon and as well acted as any film I've seen this year Le Temps Qui Reste continues Ozon's exceptional record; 8 features into his career and he's yet to make anything even remotely crap.
5/5