Film No. 34 (2015) May 25th. 6:20 PM PARADISO Northbridge.
"The play tells a simple story. An older woman falls in love with a scheming girl who has her wrapped around her little finger" (Maria listens to a brief synopsis of the play she is contemplating performing and knows so well).
The Clouds of Sils Maria
I watched a short exerpt of an interview with Binoche and Stewart with Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers, post Sils. The interview summed up for me why this film has such charisma. These two actors have a real chemistry in each others company. I now understand why I found this film so unique even though I was slightly confused with the ending.
In general terms I felt I was watching a play within a play within a film. I can't recall experiencing a film then describing it in these terms before but watching Maria (Juliette Binoche) and Val (Kristen Stewart) relax in each others company while carrying out their working lives was refreshing. Maria is coaxed by Val into playing a role in a play she starred in 20 years prior. Because of her age, the role she made famous is not on the agenda. Maria's scenes with Val as they run dialogue together in a French Alps setting, overlaps brilliantly between script and everyday life as Maria adapts emotionally to her new professional circumstance.
The film unfolds like a play. There are 3 Acts as we watch Maria deal with a divorce, a death and the choice of her next assignment in act 1. She and Val flesh out their commitment to one another while preparing for the play in act 2. Then there is an epilogue which left me a little flat but maybe that was the point. actor Moving on and adapting to rapid change in her world as she ages is very deflating for Maria.
This is a film for purists who love a new cinematic adventure. The acting is of the highest quality. Quantitatively, women rule but there are a couple of excellent male turns. Klaus Diesterweg is excellent as Maria's confident director Lars Eidinger. Their scenes are underplayed and riveting. However, Kristen Stewart is stunningly good as Val. She is the only US performer ever to win a Cesar (best female performer, Cannes 2014). Her performance alone is worth the price of a ticket. 10GUMS
This is a film for purists who love a new cinematic adventure. The acting is of the highest quality. Quantitatively, women rule but there are a couple of excellent male turns. Klaus Diesterweg is excellent as Maria's confident director Lars Eidinger. Their scenes are underplayed and riveting. However, Kristen Stewart is stunningly good as Val. She is the only US performer ever to win a Cesar (best female performer, Cannes 2014). Her performance alone is worth the price of a ticket. 10GUMS
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