MovieChat Forums > Calvaire (2005) Discussion > Marc's inappropriate reactions

Marc's inappropriate reactions

posted 11 years ago by Der_Schnibbler
4 replies | jump to latest

I noticed that Marc often has inappropriate reactions to his surroundings, which struck me as somewhat strange. Examples:

1. When the old lady makes a sexual advance at him. Most people would look embarrassed, maybe even slightly forgiving as they mentally pardoned her. Marc's expression seems closer to anger.

2. When he sees the village people sodomizing the pig (or whatever it is), he runs away in horror. Yet when he returns to the inn, he says to Bartel that it's really "nice around here." I can understand he might not want to mention it 'cause it's just weird and he doesn't care as long as he can leave that place soon. Still, I think most people's facial expression would still be one of slight unease, but Marc seems honestly unmoved by the time he reaches the inn.

3. When we see Bartel cutting Marc's hair, Marc is crying. In fact, he cries a lot. I can understand there would come a point where you'll just cry in this kind of situation, but in the beginning, once you've come to after being struck, I'd expect a person to be angry. More realistic yet, something between anger, defiance, and fear. But Marc entirely skips this stage and just begins to cry, it seems he is resigned to helplessness from the very beginning. There is no emotional progression where he goes from, "Bartel... let me go.. LET ME YOU GO YOU BASTARD... Oh my god, you're crazy... Please... let me go...." He just goes straight into weeping.

I think Marc's reactions to people implies a deeper meaning about who he is and what is relationship is to the world around him but I don't know what.

Thoughts welcome.

--
"Den Gleichen Gleiches, den Ungleichen Ungleiches."

[–] jElyott 11 years ago

Just wanted to comment on your second point. You completely misunderstood his comment when he returned to the inn.

Bartel made an obvious point that the villagers are terrifying and weird and made Marc promise him that he wouldn't go down there.

Obviously Marc had suspected this guy isn't all there and caught onto the fact early on that this guys issue is that he doesn't want Marc to leave so naturally Marc's reaction to Bartels request was that he's full of crap and they're not as bad as Bartel says or as creepy as Bartel is, so naturally he did go to the village to try and find another way home.

He saw the animal raped, ran away from terror, returned to the inn where he made the comment about how nice they were but what you obviously missed is that he was being sarcastic. Letting Bartel know that what he saw was probably horrible and Bartel instantly knew that he knew.

Then as you said he didn't make a big deal out of it because in Marc's mind, everyone there is crazy, he just wants to get home without pissing off or offending anyone who lives around there until he can leave.

I don't think Marc reacts to things strangely. Everyone reacts to certain situations differently. That's reality. In movies people always react the same way because its a generic relatable formula.

Obviously this is a movie but its style is firmly grounded in a realistic tone. Long takes, an almost complete lack of music and no doubt plent of improv.

This is why indie and foreign (most accurately Korean) films are better than Hollywood trash, because they tend to mimic real life while creating art.

[–] AceRoccola 8 years ago

"Hollywood trash"

Oh boy. We've got a real badass here. Do you get hipster points for every time you use that phrase to defend a subpar bit of aimless indie nonsense?

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] nocturnelle1 8 years ago

Marc did often exhibit inappropriate reactions. It struck me especially every time he spoke to Boris. This is clearly a disturbed man who is suffering in grief and definitely not "all there," to put it mildly, and Marc consistently expected a normal, rational response from this guy. I think for whatever reason that Marc was a kind and good natured man, but naive, a little socially awkward and either lacking in empathy, or just complete ignorance of his surroundings. There were so many moments in the BEGINNING of the film that would have made me feel awkward, horrified or frightened if I were in Marc's position, but Marc always just had a sort of flat affect, hardly any noticeable reaction at all.