Oh No!!...I composed the above before starting to watch L'Appartemente, which I am really struggling to get through. I thought I'd check the IMDB comments to see how it could possibly receive a 7.5, and guess whose comment I stumbled across? I sure hope L'Appartemente redeems itself real soon!!!
I'll write my twopenceworth even though we are agreeing to disagree on this one ...
Re-your theory: yes but ... it was directed by a man and the actor is another man. I'm pretty certain that if they thought the main character's thoughts and actions were too 'feminine' then they would have modified them along the way.
I didn't think there was anything 'wrong' in his parenting skills given the trauma that he, as well as his children, had lived through. The opening scene, featuring Audrey, sets up his character as a man who is removed from his family and not carrying his weight as a parent. Unsurprisingly when the wife disapppears he struggles to be a single parent. Of course his brother will seem the better parent. Children will not act the same with an uncle as they do their mum or dad. The uncle wasn't with them during the most horrendous moments. The uncle has no conflict in being an uncle and surrogate father in the way the father is conflicted. As to not noticing his son withdrawing from him: that's par for the course in many parent-child relationships. I speak from personal experience there!
And even in French cinema, surely his encounter with the teen-aged driver should not slip by without consequence.
What did you make of the encounter?
Brittany is very gloomy and overcast, heaping on even more despair, by design, I believe as the only time the sun shone was conspicuously at the very end.
Funny I didn't find this. I thought the light and space with beautiful beaches was uplifting. I didn't like the house they moved into and thought that was gloomy but then given the main character didn't like his dad and referred to how the dad used to treat their mother and his sons that made sense. Also it suggests a history of trouble between fathers and sons in the family to link back to your response regarding him as a father, particularly to his son.
As an aside I much prefer this film to L'Appartemente.
Why problem make? When you no problem have, you don't want to make ...
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magnoliaspringsal
12 years ago
Well, if you as not only a female but one with, sadly, experience in a similar situation, do not fault his actions, then perhaps his actions are not as grievous as I consider them. However I see plenty of room for improvement.
The encounter with the teenager, no matter how tempting, is wrong for reasons moral and foolish. He is trusting his future and his family to the whims of a flighty, immature young lady. All she has to do is tell someone of the encounter and the gendarmes will have him on sexual assault at best, rape quite probably. He won't have to worry about parenting skills from the Bastille.
Re the gloomy beaches and your "twopence". Well, here's my tuppence ha'penny... To me, a beach is white sand so bright in the sun that you have to squint, so hot - 100 degrees or so - you can barely walk on it and humidity that would stop a train. Those are the beaches of the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Alabama and north Florida in the summer.
The beach in this story reminded me of the beaches in England that my mother took me to when I was a bairn; fun and an improvement on Sauchiehall Street, bu' no a saunds like I ken the noo.
Sláinte!!
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PoppyTransfusion
12 years ago
Just to clarify the similarity that resonates for me is of parents not noticing my withdrawal. I wouldn't want anyone to think I had lived through the murder of my mother! Also I don't think his actions as a father were impeccable. They were understandable given the situation and in such circumstances I think he did a good job.
I watched the film again recently because I was troubled by the encounter with the young woman as I hadn't seen it as rape, which some had; from second viewing I don't see it as rape. Yes he took advantange of her but she did him too as he was emotionally vulnerable.
Oh well, you and I like different landscapes.
My Glasweigan mother had trouble translating your slang for me ...
Sláinte
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magnoliaspringsal
12 years ago
Sláinte... pronounced 'slan-chee', is a toast... "to your health". It was shorter than typing:
'Here's tae ye,
Wha's like ye,
Dam few
And there ah deed'
Regarding the teenage encounter, I agree with you, but a mother, the press and a court of law would see it differently.
Just as his older, salesman customer had been a victim of tragic circumstance... he struck a bicyclist with no lights in the dark... the court of public opinion pounced because the driver had consumed 2 glasses of wine.
Neither the facts nor the emotions-of-the-moment would make a difference if the teenager decided to turn on him. That is how our liberal courts would see it, I'm not sure if things would be different with The Old Bill or the Gendarmes.
I do appreciate your point of view, however. I watched this movie with such a negative slant because I thought the father was a bum. I'm glad to see - especially from a woman - that my view is not universal.
Next on the agenda here:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293401/.
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PoppyTransfusion
12 years ago
I knew what sláinte meant, it was 'bu' no a saunds like I ken the noo' that dumbfounded my mum. She could work out some of the words but not what you were saying with them. If that makes sense!
Regarding the teenage encounter, I agree with you, but a mother, the press and a court of law would see it differently.
Perhaps but we were discussing how it is depicted in the film and from what another posted some see it as rape within the film.
I watched this movie with such a negative slant because I thought the father was a bum. I'm glad to see - especially from a woman - that my view is not universal.
It's interesting that you, another man judge him negatively where I don't. Although as you say neither of us can claim our views are universal and so perhaps they are merely idiosyncratic.
I haven't seen (or even heard of) your next French viewing. I hope you enjoy it. Mine will be Les Gout des Autres and a re-watch of Le Moine (2011). I'm going to see some more French features at the cinema and London film festival soon.
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magnoliaspringsal
12 years ago
Translation... an improvement on Sauchiehall Street (actually, as your mother is a Glaswegian, Dumbarton Road) but not a beach as I know one now.(the white sandy beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama.)
I rewatched the "rape" scene. It's a close call. She says "stop" and within one or two thrusts, he does. Perhaps my negative slant once again took over and I was thinking more of the consequences that he was leaving himself wide open to.
"The Taste of Others" is pretty good; I rated it an 8. Agnès Jaoui wites a fine script. "Family Resemblances" is a fairly good character study of a family that takes place in one room.
Jaoui stars in "Le Rôle de sa Vie", it was good. I watched it because I was on a Karin Viard kick for a while. ""La Tête de Maman" I enjoyed, "Le Code a Changé" is the stories and interaction of each in a group of people who get together. Somewhat "stereotypical" French and the type of movie I enjoy.
"My Afternoons with Margueritte" with Gérard Depardieu is sweet.
The Monk... are you watching it again because you enjoyed it? It's a 5.8 here on IMDB which is not high for a European film. You were right about the pterodactyl movie, so if you liked this I'll get a copy.
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PoppyTransfusion
12 years ago
Thanks for the translation. I thought that's what you were implying but I couldn't be sure.
She does say stop quite late in the interaction and I wasn't sure as to what she was saying no to - having sex, the manner in which he was holding her, or what ..?
Thanks for your film recs too. I haven't heard of them so will add them to my burgeoning list! The Monk is a difficult call; I can't recommend it, not because I didn't enjoy it (I gave it an 8), but because I understand the objections/disappointments regarding the book's adaptation and the atmosphere of the production. Vincent Cassel gives a very good performance though. Much more sombre than he typically plays and intensely brooding. As I'm a fan of his work this does influence my rating however, 5.8 is ridiculous! The rating of foreign language films on this site irritates me. Taking into account others' feelings about the film 6.5/7 is perhaps a more objective rating.
Btw forgot I had La Promesse (1996) to watch - latest Lovefilm rental. It's one of many gritty dramas of the Belgian working class and disenfranchised b the Dardennes brothers. I recommend them to you if you've not seen any of their films before.
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