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"Observing the
Observer's
Observation..." |
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Directed and Written by
Michael Haneke
Starring Juliette
Binoche, Daniel Auteuil,
Maurice Bénichou, Annie
Girardot, Bernard Le
Coq, Walid Afkir, Daniel
Duval, Nathalie Richard,
Denis Podalydès, Aïssa
Maïga, Caroline Baehr,
Christian Benedetti,
Philippe Besson, Loic
Brabant
Distributed by Sony
Pictures Classics -
2006 in USA - 121m - Rated
R |
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Stoic, Staid, Calm... those are the traits of this French
psychological drama starring two of the all time greats, Binoche and
Auteuil. |
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| The film opens with a
videotaped shot of a building exterior. It holds that shot for
what seems like an eternity -- very little sound, hardly any
movement, no music... just the shot and the miniature credits
sequence. What follows is a rather intense and complex drama that
orbits many ideas without truly penetrating them. The film
plays with the notion of privacy, personal demons, secrecy,
forgiveness and trust. It is a typically French film that
doesn't fully surrender to the will of the masses by providing all
the answers. Unfortunately, the narrative is too sedate to
really capture the viewer's attention... the film drags from time to
time and, as a result, we lose any emotional ties to the characters.
Binoche and Auteuil are the film's crown jewels, managing to
craft believability and white-hot focus from a screenplay that may
not have deserved it. I recommend this film predominantly
because of their skills and the elevated discussions that the story
will initiate. Still, the film did bore me on too many
occasions to be one that will beckon multiple viewings. |
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© Written by TC Candler -
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Richard
Propes' Comment
n/a
Jacob
Hall's Comment
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