Come Undone

Rating:
Summary: I have to do this ... (Major Spoiler Ahead)
Review: It is never my style to defend a movie just because people disagree with me. Yet looking through all the comments that slam the movie for having no plot, and even those who like the movie are unable to provide any solid reasons other than the encrypted deeply moving or honest, I feel the need to give my two sense. So bear with me.

Let me first say that I don't think Presque Rien is the best gay movie ever made. Looking at the cover with two naked young guys, I expect it will offer little more than "tasteful" eye candy. But I came away feeling this is a lot better than I expect, and for the exact reason so many other complain about, the plot.

The story unfolds with Mathieu, after suffering from depression; revisit his family summerhouse to pull his life together. It is the same place where two summers ago he met his first boyfriend, someone he just broke up with. Upon arriving, Mathieu pick up a wild cat that's roaming on the street. In the flashback, when Mathieu arrives his family summerhouse for vacation he "picked up" a wild child, Cédric, who basically lives on the street. Instantly we can draw the connection between Cédric and the cat: Mathieu said to the cat "You are cute but you stink". It reminds us in the flashback how he rehearses his introduction line to Cédric to the mirror: "I must admit you are pretty cute". After Mathieu bathed the cat he said you are my little prince charming, just as the carefree and attractive Cédric would be to any gay teenager falling in love for the first time. But there is the less fortune comparison: like the cat, Cédric, as much as he wants Mathieu, is unable to reciprocate the kind of affection Mathieu needs in a relationship.

There is one key scene I find surprising that no one mentions is when Mathieu and Cédric visited a historic ruin. Architecture student Mathieu is interested in reading the background of the site but Cedric is only interested in a private intimate moment together - to him it is just a bunch of rock. Mathieu complained that Cédric has single track of mind and he doesn't like it when Cédric is like that. It is a telling sign of the difference between the two and how problematic the relationship could be. However, Mathieu (and many audience I bet) are so charmed by the good-looking and sexually uninhibited Cédric that he (and us) are blinded to the fact that Cédric is unable to bond with Mathieu in a non-physical way. Recall that Cédric was totally oblivious to any of the Mathieu's emotional problem when Mathieu's psychiatrist asked him, except that Mathieu is not interested in having sex in the past month, again only in a physical way.

The ending, so many of the comments have criticized, is actually very satisfying for me. While it seems contrive that Mathieu should reach out for his boyfriend's ex, it is not hard to understand what draws him to Pierre. Cédric doesn't believe in family and would rather be a renegade than being introduced to Mathieu's father. But outside of his house, we see the domestic Pierre helping out his mother in setting up dinner. Mathieu himself longingly browsed through the family photos, including his pain-in-the-ass sister, the first thing he arrived his family home in years. When Mathieu asked Pierre why he didn't have his own place, Pierre as-a-matter-of-factly said "Why? To be All Alone?" The Mathieu who impulsively moved in with Cédric to a total strange city can certainly understand that sentiment. (When Pierre asked Mathieu if he think he is lame, Mathieu replied that he thinks he seems "really together")

The movie concluded with Mathieu and Pierre coming across a lonely child in the beach (presumably his dad is also present but he was intentionally excluded from the frame). Pierre showed his paternal side by teaching the kid how to play football/soccer as Mathieu knowingly looking on. In the flashback, the naive and love-struck Mathieu was totally captivated by Cédric as he sang and danced in the buff at the beach, the post-depression, wiser and more mature Mathieu (something Pierre didn't fail to notice), once again sitting on a beach, now saw the side of Pierre that he knows he wouldn't find in Cédric.

I don't dare to say my interpretation is THE interpretation. But I hate to see people dismiss scenes as pointless and boring, went on to accuse the movie has no plot and provides no answer when the very scenes they dismiss provide the clues they are looking for. For that, I feel I have to put down my view.

Rating:
Summary: Very different from American filmmaking
Review: Do yourself a favor and get the background on this movie BEFORE seeing it. I struggled with the editing and timeline jumps -- the movie apparently employs flashbacks but makes no effort to transition them smoothly. French filmmakers seem to love the "back of the head" shots and there are PLENTY of them in this movie. The editing was truly awful, I think. There were multiple scenes which had no dialogue, didn't develop the characters, and served absolutely no viable purpose to the plot. I don't think every frame of a movie should be filled with sound effects or dialogue or a cheesy soundtrack, but this film has far too many LONG stretches of total silence that don't serve to advance the story. I just don't understand it, I guess. The subtitles weren't at all distracting, though, and the storyline in itself was quite good...not nearly as tidy and saccharin as many American movies of this genre. The performances of nearly all the principal characters were enjoyable as well. Also, the French take on nudity and sexuality is so refreshing. Clearly, it's just not the big freaking deal over there as Americans make it out to be... particularly the whole penis stigma. Doesn't seem to exist in French films, but male frontal nudity is just next to taboo in American movies. If it weren't for the choppy editing and the abrupt, random bouncing back and forth in the timeline of the characters' lives, I would have completely enjoyed this movie. I would recommend it, but like I said, get a grip on the movie's story before watching it or you'll likely just be going "Huh??" pretty regularly through the film. :)

Rating:
Summary: only if...
Review: This movie had an impact on me and has good pointers with reality situations. Although comical, this movie is also very sensual and sexy.

Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and sad at times.
Review: This was an OK film, it had some good scenes and had some romance. In the end it was not great and could be depressing with the mountain of issues the lead is dealing with. It was not overly hopeful. It is an aquired taste and I would consider renting it if you can before buying. The acting was good and the film quality was good, the issue is the story line. I did not feel it was a good investment.

Rating:
Summary: This is Real Life!
Review: This movie left me bewildered and thrilled at the same time. I can't stop thinking about it ever since; about these two characters, and about this magical thing that happens to them at a key point of their emotional development. I felt much sorrow and I was very deeply moved by this movie; but then, isn't it what an outstanding movie is supposed to do to you - grab your feelings and make you think?
I really had no problem with the internal timing (3 different periods of the story that we keep jumping back and forth into) - to me, it appeared fluid and I always understood in which time-frame the story was and why we had jumped. This "broken chronology" did not confuse me, rather I found it added much in depth by showing a violent contrast in the main character : the innocent and playful adolescent vs the wounded young adult he'd become.
Because this is what I found powerful in this film : by depicting a young man and his coming-of-age (this really is a character study, Mathieu's first love and young adulthood), the director touches to essential questions that lie within each of us : the loss of innocence, the coming out of childhood into adulthood, the uniqueness of first love.
A very subtle and deeply moving film, light-years away from the standard productions packaged by Hollywood. Not for uneducated american public, though.

Rating:
Summary: Treat for eyes and mind!
Review: What a fantastic story! The film takes place in three different time periods, and the shifts in time makes it a bit difficult to follow the plot. However, the great thing about French films- they do not think their audience is stupid, and do not spoon-feed the storyline. I watch this film over and over and get something new out of it every time. Aside from an appealing intricate narrative, the two main characters (sometimes naked)and scenery complement the movie like nothing other. My suggestion: rent it/watch it a few times/ and then buy it!

Rating:
Summary: Come undone
Review: The key to this movie for me is patience. I found it challenging to understand the subtle nuances, and appreciate the periods of silence. I am pleased I stuck with it as it has been an interesting journey. Besides, the actors are a joy to look at.

Rating:
Summary: a sophisticated film about first love with beautiful music
Review: This is one of the few "gay-themed" films that I actually liked and felt touched by.
Most people I talked to about "Come undone" didn't like it, I figured because when they go to a movie or rent a video they want to see "E-Z" entertainment that lets them escape the boring reality of life, not to be challenged or made to think.
"Come undone" seems just like another story of a first love, which ends, of course - how original is that? But it is told in a way the French are so good at - a loose story line that goes back and forth, a slow pace that lets you concentrate on what you see on the screen. Things that aren't said aloud are as important as things that are said. The film makers are more concerned with trying to capture the mood and the shifting dynamics in the relationship between the characters than with explaining every minute detail. There is a sense of melancholy in many parts that is very sexy.
This movie will be appreciated by a discerning and sophisticated viewer who doesn't want to be shown or cued by music how to feel, where to laugh or cry.
The actors are hot in a natural way, not like they spend every waking moment in the gym or near the mirror - which is almost absent in movies and media targeted to the gay consumer market today.
The music by PERRY BLAKE fits the melancholic mood of the story perfectly, without being overimposing. I learned of Perry Blake through this film. His last two albums have been released in the US. If you like the songs in the film - you'll fall in love with his CDs.
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Rating:
Summary: Great Love Story
Review: This movie is a really good independant movie that I just enjoyed watching recently for the 1st time. It reminds you how good it feels when you really enjoy someones company, and how it feels when you fall in love! I totally recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a love story, straight or gay!

Rating:
Summary: Great film
Review: Come Undone is incredible. It is brutally honest but gentle all at the same time. The time jumps are definitely well accented by the setting and the sex scene is probably the best of its kind - real, soft, and beautiful. Definitely worth buying.