David O'Connell5x2
January 21st 2009 03:16
Told in reverse through five key episodes in the failure of a marriage, Francois Ozon’s brilliant film is possibly his best work to date. A mature and poignant reflection on what went wrong for Gilles (Stephane Freiss) and Marion (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi), it's filled with dark, foreboding insights into what led them to a divorce lawyer’s office in the opening scene. The structure seems like a gimmick but, in fact, turns out to be a stroke of genius, allowing us to peel back the layers of time and scrutinize the signs of trouble as they piled up.
Uncomfortably sitting through final terms of agreement with their lawyer in the first scene leads to something totally unexpected: the couple check into a hotel room together and, perhaps hoping to rekindle a nostalgic passion, contemplate one last sexual union. It doesn’t feel right to Marion at least and a devastating scene follows with a betrayal of trust which is immediately forgotten as if it never occurred. Like yet another dark shadow to have fallen on this couple, it sits between them uncomfortably but ignored as they turn to a discussion of their young son's welfare.
The second segment shows the cracks beginning to widen, the rift in their marriage taking hold. The couple seem relatively content in the opening moments, but when Gilles’ gay brother and his young lover visit it leads to much alcohol consumption and dark secrets that surface from a volatile past.
The third segment shows a time when signs of trouble are first becoming manifest – or so it would seem, for Ozon soon skillfully reveals how ominous indicators may have been present from the beginning. We see a pregnant Marion induced into labor by various complications. Gilles seems preoccupied and notified at work he deliberately stays away from the hospital, later offering a flimsy excuse. Though he can’t express what they are or mean to his wife, dark thoughts plague him, offering proof of a deeper disturbance in the structure of this marriage.
It’s a sobering time, the most poignant moment coming as Marion sneaks out in the night to visit her helpless new child in the maternity ward; staring forlornly, with teary eyes, she seems to know in her heart that her son has just been born into a less than perfect environment and a deep sadness has begun to take hold of her.
The fourth segment takes place on their wedding day and night. After the genuinely joyful celebrations Gilles inconveniently falls asleep in bed, leading Marion to wistfully trawl the grounds spying on her parents and the remaining revelers. Ozon never reveals how far a shocking moment, occuring soon after, goes but the ambiguity is suggestive once more of a disturbance that contributed heavily to subsequent problems.
The final segment recalls the couple’s first significant meeting at a resort where Gilles and his girlfriend of 4 years are enjoying their time before a chance meeting with Marion, traveling alone and, it's revealed, an underling in the publicity department of Gilles’ firm. He's barely noticed her in the past but with his own relationship seemingly faltering due to distraction and his girlfriend’s continual jealousy, he sees Marion as a luscious temptation.
The final shot of the film is perfection itself: filled with the promise - which we know is false - of a life that might have been if our omniscient knowledge of the ending hadn’t already clouded everything we know about these people. It's one of the most hauntingly bittersweet moments you can imagine.
Both lead actors are superb, especially Bruni-Tedeschi as Marion who is revealed as a complex fusion of strength and fragility. Freiss also gives a compelling, nuanced turn as the distracted husband who remains hard to like throughout, his motivations remaining tantalizingly oblique enough to keep us intrigued however.
Ozon’s great skill is in showing how the conventional linear structure of storytelling isn’t the only means of extracting, by degrees, the facts. His reversal in time proves to be just as illuminating a process and this dark masterpiece is easily one of the best films of its type ever made.
As well as being strangely moving, each section of the story has disturbing, provocative moments, and it makes for uncomfortable viewing. You end up squirming in your seat as the director carefully strips away the façade of a failed marriage to prove that the truth, even if revealed in an unconventional way, always comes out in the end.
Uncomfortably sitting through final terms of agreement with their lawyer in the first scene leads to something totally unexpected: the couple check into a hotel room together and, perhaps hoping to rekindle a nostalgic passion, contemplate one last sexual union. It doesn’t feel right to Marion at least and a devastating scene follows with a betrayal of trust which is immediately forgotten as if it never occurred. Like yet another dark shadow to have fallen on this couple, it sits between them uncomfortably but ignored as they turn to a discussion of their young son's welfare.
The second segment shows the cracks beginning to widen, the rift in their marriage taking hold. The couple seem relatively content in the opening moments, but when Gilles’ gay brother and his young lover visit it leads to much alcohol consumption and dark secrets that surface from a volatile past.
A strange encounter in a hotel room after finalising their divorce.
The third segment shows a time when signs of trouble are first becoming manifest – or so it would seem, for Ozon soon skillfully reveals how ominous indicators may have been present from the beginning. We see a pregnant Marion induced into labor by various complications. Gilles seems preoccupied and notified at work he deliberately stays away from the hospital, later offering a flimsy excuse. Though he can’t express what they are or mean to his wife, dark thoughts plague him, offering proof of a deeper disturbance in the structure of this marriage.
It’s a sobering time, the most poignant moment coming as Marion sneaks out in the night to visit her helpless new child in the maternity ward; staring forlornly, with teary eyes, she seems to know in her heart that her son has just been born into a less than perfect environment and a deep sadness has begun to take hold of her.
Wedding day: a rare happy moment for the couple.
The fourth segment takes place on their wedding day and night. After the genuinely joyful celebrations Gilles inconveniently falls asleep in bed, leading Marion to wistfully trawl the grounds spying on her parents and the remaining revelers. Ozon never reveals how far a shocking moment, occuring soon after, goes but the ambiguity is suggestive once more of a disturbance that contributed heavily to subsequent problems.
The final segment recalls the couple’s first significant meeting at a resort where Gilles and his girlfriend of 4 years are enjoying their time before a chance meeting with Marion, traveling alone and, it's revealed, an underling in the publicity department of Gilles’ firm. He's barely noticed her in the past but with his own relationship seemingly faltering due to distraction and his girlfriend’s continual jealousy, he sees Marion as a luscious temptation.
The final shot of the film is perfection itself: filled with the promise - which we know is false - of a life that might have been if our omniscient knowledge of the ending hadn’t already clouded everything we know about these people. It's one of the most hauntingly bittersweet moments you can imagine.
Taking us all the way back to their first significant moment alone near the resort.
Both lead actors are superb, especially Bruni-Tedeschi as Marion who is revealed as a complex fusion of strength and fragility. Freiss also gives a compelling, nuanced turn as the distracted husband who remains hard to like throughout, his motivations remaining tantalizingly oblique enough to keep us intrigued however.
Ozon’s great skill is in showing how the conventional linear structure of storytelling isn’t the only means of extracting, by degrees, the facts. His reversal in time proves to be just as illuminating a process and this dark masterpiece is easily one of the best films of its type ever made.
As well as being strangely moving, each section of the story has disturbing, provocative moments, and it makes for uncomfortable viewing. You end up squirming in your seat as the director carefully strips away the façade of a failed marriage to prove that the truth, even if revealed in an unconventional way, always comes out in the end.
| 71 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
