Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A glimpse into the franco-anglo psyche, 1 Nov 2006
One of the things I loved about this film was the fact that we have the quintessential Englishwoman, living in Paris, whose daily existence is an overwhelmingly francophone one. Ozone then enables us to explore how love across a potential linguistic divide can be observed.
Ozone shows us his directorial love and respect for the iconic Charlotte Rampling, in this film which is both very emotionally and psychologically complex and touching. Rampling handles the issues in this film in an amazingly natural, almost instinctive way. She represents a woman 'of a certain age', who is iconoclastic in that she is not only able to remain physically desirable, but also, her mindset is far from showing any signs of ageing. Marie's world is rudely, unexpectedly shattered while she is in a very benign, familiar situation, and she then has to cope with the horrible reality of uncertainty, loneliness, emotional craving, fragility and balancing all of this with the need to survive in the so-called normal world'', where it can be so easy to be understood by everyone.
The presentation of reality and fantasy in our heroine's mind make this film very interesting. The psychological portrayal of Marie's character is beautifully handled and Rampling was the perfect choice. From the start of the film to the end we are taken on a journey where the denouement is gradual, yet, somehow makes us feel that Ozone is staying true to the character he has created.
Ozone handles the often unpalatable everyday, social, family and professional obstacles and angsts that have to be overcome, and how relationships in all of these contexts can test an individual.
This film has great emotional depth and range which were realised by Rampling. The rest of the cast were also impeccable particularly Bruno Cremer her husband, Jean, and Andree Tainsy, as her mother-in-law.
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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Smart, Poignant View of Grieving, 14 Nov 2002
Charlotte Rampling gives a fantastic performance in this slow, but elegantly portrayed film of a woman's grief over the disappearance of her husband on a holiday to the seaside. Her manner of self assured optimism in the face the loss of her husband is deeply moving in its strident motives of self-deception. The long shots of Rampling contemplating the empty space of her apartment and the unexpected appearance of her husband leave the viewer gripped in anticipation of whether or not her fabricated reality will continue or shatter around her feet. Most fitfully, her character is a lecturer on fiction and is discussing with her students Virginia Woolf's 'The Waves.' This is an interesting reference to Woolf's great experimental novel dealing with ageing, loss and the timorous bonds between individuals. Rampling's character inhabits the struggle with dealing with these elements in life and embodies a contradiction in their acceptance that cannot be reconciled. What this film captures so elegantly are the physical touches and familiar routines of a long-term love. The habit of her love for her husband is represented in her movements and the interaction she has with her husband's "ghost" or "shadow." The end, purposely and rightfully, does not give away whether or not her denial over her husband's death will be accepted or eternally refused. This is a haunting, delicately beautiful film.
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterful performance from Charlotte Rampling, 12 Dec 2003
I must add to Eric's astute review some comments on Charlotte Rampling's poerformance in this film. She is magical to watch, and has developed her glacial demeanor and skill at wordless evocation into a fine art. Supported by a great script and cast, she gives a masterful performance, which is the jewel in her film career to date.
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