i thought it was pretty simple, and obvious, but enjoyable.
i didnt think that there was too much ambiguity in this simple tale.
though the possession itself, or at least where it might have started, reminded me of.. 'scanners' ... for the camera tracks in on both the eyes of a shocked gainsbourg and a dying rampling.
gainsbourg is the only one present when ramplings character breathes her very last, and it could be perceived that they are looking right at eachother.
shes already different when the services take away the corpse. she isnt sat with her husband in what should be a traumatising situation. [you've just watched someone die horribly]
alice had previously said that she wanted to see richard die. with the help of alain, who she has egged on through her behaviour whilst in possession of benedicte, she got to achieve that.
by the morning, she was gone, the lemming was dead, and benedicte was back, with weird dreams as her only recollection of what has transpired.
[she has no memory of being with the boss, no memory of watching him die] - simply because she wasnt there, only alice was]
you can tell she wasnt 'around' so much, as she has to be reminded of what day it is.
alices spirit of hurt, depression, anger, and ultimately revenge, are so strong that they take over the one that she sees as the 'model' partner [one half of a model couple, no worries, in love forever, enjoying their lives, in love, still young]
- she could have been seen as being jealous of the younger woman
- she was hurt when she saw the young couple kissing in the kitchen
- she didnt declare that she was there - she watched them
- she felt she was being mistreated by her husband
- that he didnt love her anymore
- at her old age he didnt love her or find her attractive
- he spent money on young prostitutes
- and in testing alain - she has to suffer rejection again
- though she also sees alain as a stronger man than her husband was
- which is why she uses him - shes a very bitter old woman.
- thats why she kills herself in the new home of a young model couple [why didnt she do it at home? or a hotel? or jump off a bridge? she wants her bitter life to end and affect these pretty nice young things - something that shes jealous of, she may have seen herself as in a similar position decades before it all went sour]
- richard and alice being the bitter, older, twisted version of alain and benedicte - alice sees this as how she and richard started - she sees herself as benedicte straight away, richard reiterates how much he really likes alain [as if hes a younger version of himself perhaps - he doesnt even hide the prostitutes he has in his room]
whilst alice has posession of benedicte, she offers a choice to alain - do what she asked [so she can see richard die] and he gets benedicte back - or not and he loses her forever.
the hole lemming issue starts right before the dinner, before the couples' partners meet eachother, by blocking the sink.
the weirdness ends at the same time the lemming is dead.
- how benedicte approaches the lemming after alain pulled it out is different to how she approaches it when she finds it dead at the end.
and in direct response:
So, how could Benedicte know exactly what Alice said to her husband?
>> because that wasnt benedicte, it was alice possessing her.
And how could he see her after she committed suicide?
>> she allows alain to see who she really is. its also a ghost story.
And the scene with the lemmings? Are we supposed to presume that he's crazy?
>> explained as concussion. leading up to that it did make it look as if he wasnt really going to last the 300km drive at all..
If it's all supposed to be supernatural somehow, it needs to be set up better. If it's not, it just doesn't work.
>> i dont agree. i think this is worked out as something on the threshold, just on the edge of reality, but not so whacked out that you know whats what. whats more important than the ghost or possession is the reflection between the young and carefree against the old and bitter.
I can imagine that his wife has had a strong reaction to finding out that her husband has been tempted by an affair and then not told her about it, but the rest doesn't make sense.
>> the whole movie has tales of miscommunication - from the vet not phoning benedicte to let her know his nephew was coming over, richard joking about his wife suspecting he takes women to the lake house, alain being the one to tell him his wife is dead instead of the police, the kid across the road not getting on with his dad, richard and alice being late and not letting them know, alain trying to contact them and not getting through, benedicte/alice leaving him stranded, benedicte/alice not wanting to talk about anything.
benedicte having a strong reaction about everything else is because its not her, its alice.
Does she not realize at the end that her husband killed his boss?
>> how would she know? benedicte was not there. alice was. after alice's possession had gone, benedicte didnt even know what day it was.
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