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Each of the performances has an improvised edge, giving the film a gritty tone as it avoids both melodrama and sentimentality. Binoche is relaxed and luminescent as always, bringing out Marianne's compassion, humour and sharp sense of injustice. Her observations and feelings run very deep. She also has terrific chemistry with Lambert, whose Christele is a feisty woman who has learned to survive. And each person around them carries a strong sense of his or her own back-story.

Aside from the premise and a few mini-adventures, there isn't much plot. Instead, the film is a collection of sequences that add colour and texture to the characters and the life they're living. This loose approach is a little uneven, as some sections are far more engaging than others, and the larger emotional thrust of the story sometimes gets lost on its way to a strong climactic moment. But the performances are so transparent that it's impossible not to care about these people. And their camaraderie in such a precarious position is inspiring.

themes, language

24.May.22

Through all of this, Michel is going through his own existential crisis, wanting to improve himself in whatever way he can, even if this involves developing an illicit skill. LaSalle plays him with intense feelings, eager to help those he likes while coolly distancing himself from everyone else. after taking off for two years in Italy and England, his return to Paris is moving. His connections with Jeanne, Jacques and the inspector each carry a zing of subtext, hinting at different directions the story might take and sharply well-played by Green, Leymarie and Pelegri.

Intriguingly, there's never the sense that Bresson believes Michel's arguments that his thieving has any moral value. But the filmmaker also refuses to pass judgment. This is a story about a young man who is lost, unable to make sense of the conflicting things he has learned throughout his life. Then when he has a bit of distance to grow up, he begins to realise what's important. It's seriously impressive thay Bresson never explains Michel's motives or lets him see the error of his ways. The film is much more complex and provocative than that.

themes, violence

26.Apr.22

Danobeitia has a superbly understated charisma, so it's easy to see why Lorena and Diego are drawn to Vicente. Burgos' Lorena has an introspective reaction, confused by the shift in mea marriage's dynamic as she seeks for bigger answers in nature. Gutierrez has a more difficult role as the confused Diego, afraid to let his real feelings come to the surface even though he knows he must. The way the three of them negotiate their relationship is beautifully underplayed.

The film is written, directed and acted with an intimate that can't help but pull us in deeply. And our own stories will dictate which of these people we most closely identify with as we wait for the other shoe to drop between them. For much of the film, sex lurks as a possibility, and when it does emerge it's furtive, accompanied by vivid wave of tension. This adds a sharp edge to the film's depiction of various aspects of romance, even as it ends on a rather sudden but hopeful note.

themes, language, sexuality

10.May.22