MFFF REVIEW: ODYSSEY (L'ODYSSEE)



9/10

The year is 1949. Jacques Cousteau had just finished with the army and dreaming of a life full of sea exploration, diving and travel. Armed only with his grand ideas and little money he is ready to make his dreams all come true. But when you sacrifice everything for the greater purpose, does the purpose itself become hard to see?

Director Jerome Salle, who has a few well received French comic book adaptations under his belt, takes on a family saga. An ambitious project about a character many in this world grew up with, the plot focuses on Jacques' relationships with his two sons, following his rise and downfall between the early fifties and the  late seventies, when he is facing a crises in both his personal and his  professional life.

In biopics the cast is what usually makes it or breaks it. Lambert Wilson has the looks of Jacques Cousteau, but he also seems to embody his spirit. His co-star Pierre Niney had already proved he could do a biopic in the role of Yves Saint Laurent a few years back. The leading men look natural together as a father and a son, united by love and respect, but divided by their outlook on life.

The make up is fantastic, the brilliant visual effects are beautiful and tense (the shark scene will have you clinging to your seat), and the shots of the most exotic parts of the world are stunning. The outstanding soundtrack by Alexander Desplat deserves a praising article of its own.

ODYSSEY manages to capture a perfect adventure spirit but at the same time keeping it real all the way. The script is competently written with interesting accents and never glamorises the life of Captain Cousteau, who was unfaithful to his wife and, at times, was too self centred to see the bad things happening all around him.


ODYSSEY is a very complete and satisfying piece of movie making that deserves all the praise and attention it can get.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KOREAN MOVIE REVIEW: MEMOIR OF A MURDERER

Image
8/10 Byung-su is an elderly veterinarian who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He has a caring daughter who does all she can to make his life easier, and a policemen friend whose name Byung-su forgets from time to time. He also goes to a poetry club (in order to keep his mind exercised) where a lonely widow makes advances at him. But there’s one thing that sets Byung-su apart from the other senior citizens of his little town – he is a serial killer.  When a new wave of killings begin Byung-su starts to suspect that a young man who is dating his daughter is the culprit. Trying to keep the remains of his memories together Byung-su writes extensive journals. But what if his memories are actually real? Losing his grip on reality he goes head to head with the new serial killer in order to protect the only life he cares about in the world – his daughter’s. Before Dexter came around Koreans had excelled in creating charismatic killers as protagonists of the f...
Read more

We'll End Up Together - Nous Finirons Ensemble (French Movie Review)

Image
10/10 Max has a sixtieth birthday coming up. The problem is he is broke, divorced and depressed. When a group of his best friends show up at his doorstep to help him celebrate, he reluctantly agrees to spend a few days with them, but won’t explain what’s going on in his personal life. When ones darkest moments come, will friendship conquer all? Seven years after the breakout success of the film Little White Lies (Les Petits Mouchoirs) comes the long anticipated sequel and it is worth the wait. The success of WE’LL END UP TOGETHER is not in its rather predictable plot, but the chemistry on screen, the characters that we recognise ourselves and our friends in, and the amazing warm atmosphere that makes one believe there’s no problem a good dinner with friends won’t sort out.  Written and directed by much loved French actor and director  Guillaume Canet this movie feels like a welcome return home to those who have seen the original and will also welcome new viewership - t...
Read more

MSFF: DEATH IN BUENOS AIRES (MUERTE EN BUENOS AIRES)

Image
3 1/2 /5 It's year 1980 and we are in Buenos Aires. The wealthy gay man is murdered  and inspector Chaves is on the case. In order to find the culprit he has to plunge into the world of gay nightclubs, drugs and sex. But what is it with the young and handsome officer Gomes, who was the first on the crime scene, and seems to place himself with ease as a mole into a gay community? Is he trying to catch the killer? Or hiding something? As suspicions arise, Chaves is haunted by the feelings he does not understand. Will the fatal attraction to a younger man help him to solve the case, or be his undoing? First time director Natalie Meta is "spot on" on the upbeat atmosphere of the 80s without too much expense. She cleverly uses the pop tunes, over-the-top clothes and many other ingredients to recreate the time. The murder mystery is secondary, and the movie is focused on the relationship between the two men, full of innuendoes and mistrust. The very simple cinema...
Read more