Friday Night

Rating:
Summary: denis' new tone-poem
Review: I believe that Claire Denis is one of the few great directors working in Europe right now. Most of the greatest European filmmakers are past their prime or dead, and currently most of the world-class talents are located in Asia (Iran, Taiwan, Korea). Denis, one of the last hopes for French cinema, has made some brilliant films, but "Vendredi Soir" could be her weakest. All the stylistic traits that have served her so well in the past are there: the spare style, the moodiness, the soundtrack, the superb cinematography of Agnes Godard... and the editing in this film is particularly fine. Yet here all the stylistic excellence comes off as too little. The director describes it as an attempt to capture a moment, but the moment is relatively banal (a woman meets a man, they check into a hotel, make love and have pizza afterwards) and the whole attempt at spontaneity comes off as forced, despite the film's beautiful rhythm. Many have responded favorably to the film (one critic even calling it the most beautiful film ever made about two people) because, as I've mentioned, it has a lot going for it. It's just that unlike the director's best works, "Vendredi Soir" is unable to engage. It left me indifferent to the characters, the scenario, and whatever the director was trying to convey. The DVD transfer looks good, though, and adequately captures Godard and Denis' lovely vision of Paris at night. It's perhaps a little grainy, but I suspect Denis just likes the grainy look. The DVD also contains commentary by the director and the great critic Kent Jones - certainly a worthwhile perk if you're a fan of the director's work.

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant film from a brilliant artist!
Review: I had to sign up as a reviewer just to counter the terribly uninsightful customer reviews of this film. This is great film! An historic film! Claire Denis is a courageous filmmaker precisely because she does not pander to the audience's expecations; she does not conform to the conventions of Hollywood-influenced filmmaking. Instead she pursues the kind of quiet drama that unfolds in real life with remarkable insight into character, with remarkable compassion for humanity. As a result, her films might sometimes seem slow, or seem as though little is happening. But what you get is far more amazing than a sinking "Titanic": You get a real picture of the sort of real drama that occurs between real people in their real lives. Imagine a love story between people who are not more beautiful, not more amazing, not more different than you and I -- imagine a love story between people like us -- and then imagine a filmmaker who can capture all of its minute nuance. That is greatness. That is Claire Denis. That is "Friday Night."

Rating:
Summary: Make other plans
Review: I rented Claire Denis film because I had heard that it addressed the one night stand from the rarely-filmed female perspective. While the film was unique, there was so little to it that it could hardly be said to offer any perspective at all.

All the events take place during one night. The night before she is to move in with her boyfriend, unusual circumstances bring Valerie Lemercier together with stranger Vincent Lindon.

There is some suspense and tension in the first scenes between the two; particularly interesting is that neither prattles on and on in an attempt to court the other. In that sense, we seem to have two mature individuals, who will take things as they come. The problem is, when they do finally get together, not only is there no passion between them, but little more of their characters' are revealed. This is probably intentional on the director's part; in fairness, you rarely learn much about a person in one night, and conversation can't really be expected to flow. This movie ends up simply describing an average hookup, which makes Lemercier's supposed elation at the close somewhat dissonant. There just isn't that much to say, so you end up having almost no dialogue.

If the movie had more style, or operated simultaneously on a metaphorical level, the above would have been tolerable. Perhaps this movie is simply too realistic; what you see is what you get, and you won't get much out of this film. (2.5 stars)

Rating:
Summary: Make other plans
Review: I rented Claire Denis film because I had heard that it addressed the one night stand from the rarely-filmed female perspective. While the film was unique, there was so little to it that it could hardly be said to offer any perspective at all.

All the events take place during one night. The night before she is to move in with her boyfriend, unusual circumstances bring Valerie Lemercier together with stranger Vincent Lindon.

There is some suspense and tension in the first scenes between the two; particularly interesting is that neither prattles on and on in an attempt to court the other. In that sense, we seem to have two mature individuals, who will take things as they come. The problem is, when they do finally get together, not only is there no passion between them, but little more of their characters' are revealed. This is probably intentional on the director's part; in fairness, you rarely learn much about a person in one night, and conversation can't really be expected to flow. This movie ends up simply describing an average hookup, which makes Lemercier's supposed elation at the close somewhat dissonant. There just isn't that much to say, so you end up having almost no dialogue.

If the movie had more style, or operated simultaneously on a metaphorical level, the above would have been tolerable. Perhaps this movie is simply too realistic; what you see is what you get, and you won't get much out of this film. (2.5 stars)

Rating:
Summary: Pretty bad
Review: If there is a way to make a traffic jam interesting this film has not found it. It is all I could do to remember the title of this pointless movie. I wanted to give it a second star because it wasn't half as 'bad' as it was dull, but I couldn't force myself to give this self-indulgent waste of time any compliments at all. I won't bother to try and describe the plot. There is none. NOTE: Watch out for French films that feel compelled to show the Eifel Tower, that is a bad sign. Here, it is the most interesting thing in the movie and we see it in the first minute.

Rating:
Summary: Friday night becomes Sunday morning
Review: If there is a way to make a traffic jam interesting this film has not found it. It is all I could do to remember the title of this pointless movie. I wanted to give it a second star because it wasn't half as 'bad' as it was dull, but I couldn't force myself to give this self-indulgent waste of time any compliments at all. I won't bother to try and describe the plot. There is none. NOTE: Watch out for French films that feel compelled to show the Eifel Tower, that is a bad sign. Here, it is the most interesting thing in the movie and we see it in the first minute.

Rating:
Summary: The open space before commitment.
Review: Laure (Valerie Lemercier) is moving out of her apartment to move in with her boyfriend. Almost all of her possessions are packed and labeled, with the exception of a few she needs to decide on. Her home, the area that belongs to her completely is in her car. In the midst of Paris' transit strike, she gives a lift to Jean (Vincent Lindon).

That is a brief description of the beginning of Madame Denis' wonderful Vendredi Soir. Very few films are paced so exquisitely showing us the first stages of attraction and desire as this one did. The shots of Laure watching Jean's hands, Jean removing Laure's glove to caress her hand and their decisive brush against each other on the staircase are some of the loveliest and most romantic images I've seen on film.

Desire is sometimes fleeting, but almost always memorizable. Yes, their affair is brief but during it, you can almost see them both noting, analyzing and remembering. The final shot of Laure, dressed and ready to go, as she gently touches Jean was both her and our exit out of the gorgeous, romantic fantasy that was this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty bad
Review: Okay, I'm a big Claire Denis fan--the sublime "Chocolat," "Nenette and Boni," even "Beau Travail"--but this one is worse than pretty bad, really. It's downright awful. All, that is, but the stunning opening shot over the roofs of Paris.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty bad
Review: Okay, I'm a big Claire Denis fan--the sublime "Chocolat," "Nenette and Boni," even "Beau Travail"--but this one is worse than pretty bad, really. It's downright awful. All, that is, but the stunning opening shot over the roofs of Paris.

Rating:
Summary: Strangers in the Night
Review: Sometimes physical attraction is so strong and the consequences for following through with said attraction are so weak that we cannot help but do the dirty deed...right there and right now.
Claire Denis's "Friday Night" tells the story of such an encounter and it tells it from the woman's (Valerie Lemerciere) point of view.
Often such stories are told in the style of a fairy tale with the girl as a fairy princess and the man a knight with shining armor. But Denis is too realistic and thoughtful a director for this. Instead we get a 2003 take on the situation with all the pitfalls and emotional weight intact. The meeting, the courtship, the physical relationship and the breakup is all done in one night.
Denis has shown us in "The Venus Beauty Institute" that relationships often take turns and twists that we cannot predict and that love can come from the unlikeliest places. In "Friday Night" we see a relationship telescoped into one evening and it is thrilling, bizarre but ultimately quite wonderful and resonant with the truth and humanity of something real.