Someone, Somewhere - Deux Moi (French Film Festival)


6/10

 Remi and Melanie may be perfect for each other. They live in the same building, separated from each other by the thinnest of walls. They shop at the same convenience store and take the same public transport, pass each other on the street, but in a city of millions will these two have a chance to meet?

Focusing on how it is to be young and single in the modern Megapolis, and in particular Paris, the city of love, the movie takes on the daily lives’ journey, that is as extraordinary as it is simple. The plot is easy to relate to, as so many of us follow the “work-eat-sleep” routine and rarely pay attention to the fact that something is not right with this arrangement, something is missing. Anxiety and depression in the film is seen as a part of the daily battles to be fought and are almost taken for granted. The leads by young stars François Civil and Ana Girardot are believable “girl and boy next door” trying to make their lives work and fight this desperate and lonely feeling underneath it all.

Director Cedric Klapisch specialises in romanticising Paris. Here it is practically a love letter to the city, and partly a guidebook to what it is to be a Parisian. 
SOMEONE SOMEWHERE may not be for everyone, it is certainly not a romantic comedy, and is slightly uneventful for a movie that runs almost 2 hrs. But the performances are great and the comprehensive script juggles many of the film’s  important issues with relative ease. 
Focusing on what it is to be ready to accept true love than on the love affair itself, the film inspires optimism despite its melancholic nature. 

 The film is a part of AF French Film Festival 2020.

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