Brutal Film, Implodes on Itself

This is a well shot, well acted film, Andre Jacobs is especially good as the 'owner' of Saartjie and of course Yahima Torres deserves acclaim for an immensely brave performance.

However... the director Abdellatif Kechiche is absolutely unrelenting in his depiction of the staggering humiliation Saartjie endures. Scene follows almost identical scene of pretty much the same repetitive stage routines and 'exhibits' that drag on for what must surely amount to almost a third of the films run time. None of the sequences -except the scientific observation scene- are substantially different from any other. I understand what the filmakers were aiming for but these repetitions weigh the entire film down and brings the narrative to a dead halt for prolonged periods. It is as if the director himself became fixated on the odd non-human perception of Saartjie and in his tedious sledgehammer repetition of those scenes he manages to overlook Saaartjie herself. What we end up with is a film that is to a alarming degree guilty of the very thing it is attempting to put on trial. Other than Saartjie being a absolute victim of those who exploit her she remains a mystery to us.

The filmmakers has presented us with an almost unwatchable film... if you manage to watch the last 20 minutes of this film with care and attention instead of cringe worthy distaste for proceedings I either salute your stamina or pity your callousness.

Same goes for Abdellatif Kechiche... I suspect the latter in his case.