4 stars out of 5
I will readily admit: I walked out of the theater thinking, “That was a good movie, even though I’m not totally sure what happened.” Now, a day later, I think I have a better grasp on it, or at least want to watch the movie again when it comes to streaming and pay closer attention to certain scenes. Or, if you one of you theater types wants to put on a production of Claudine Galea’s play Je Reviens de Loin on which this film is based, I will gladly attend a performance. In English, s’il vous plait.
Here are the basics: A woman in France sneaks out of her home early one morning, leaving behind her husband and two children. She hits the road. Back at the house, her family tries to figure out why she left, and begins to carry on without her. Ah, but there is more than one layer here. Not a multiverse per se, but a blurring of the lines between reality and imagination, and between past, present, and future.
The mom, Camille, is portrayed by Vicky Krieps, who was superb as the female lead in Phantom Thread. She is equally good or even better here, believably taking us wherever Camille’s journey goes: through freedom, love, fear, loss and loss of control, despair, grief, reinvention, and every stop in-between. When Krieps occasionally smiles she looks a bit like Julianne Moore and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Of course, a ton of credit must go to writer/director Mathieu Amalric, who we best know as an actor — especially from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Quantum of Solace, and who I’ve also seen in Munich, The Forbidden Room, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The French Dispatch, in which I think he played a French guy. But in France he’s actually written and directed a number of features and shorts. That experience shines through here in a story that could’ve been very disjointed, but instead Amalric gives it an artful flow, including some lovely camera and lighting work.
Music also plays a key role here, particularly in the daughter’s dutiful piano practice, which the film returns to again and again. In addition, Camille sings along to J.J. Cale’s “Cherry” in the car during her escape, and I think the Brian Jonestown Massacre sneaks in there somewhere too.
Would not be surprised to see Krieps, Amalric, or the film nominated as the year draws to a close. In the short term, maybe you want to check it out.
Jack Silbert, curator