MFFF MOVIE REVIEW: TRUE FRIENDS (AMITIES SINCERES)


* * *

Walter, Paul and Jacques are true friends. Or so it seems. Men in their fifties, they follow the traditions, catching up for lunches during the week and go away fishing on weekends. But there are secrets lurking underneath. Jacques is a closeted gay and Paul is dating Walter’s daughter Clemence - half his age. What adds complications is that Walter cannot stand secrets and expect only perfection from all around him. When truth is exposed something is going to hit the fan. Will three men be able to keep their friendship against the odds?

TRUE FRIENDS is easy to watch. It’s characters are amusing, its ending is predictable and the dialogue is swift and entertaining. Not going too deep into the problems of friendship and “true lies” the story touches lightly upon the subject at hand. TRUE FRIENDS is what you call “a slice of life” story. You live for two hours with the characters, doing things they do, visit places they visit. You like them enough to feel you want to become their friend yourself. 

Gerard Lanvin (WALTER) is charismatic in a role of loving, but a little controlling father who is not ready to let his daughter go. He is loved by his friends, because of the certainty of values he represents. But he makes you wonder if this gregarious man as forgiving as he is kind?


TRUE FRIENDS is a very even film, with conflict never escalating to a dangerous or tragic territory. The lack of intensity is probably the only negative side of the film - you never truly worry about the characters. It’s a sort of film you will watch at home on Friday night with an opened bottle of wine and someone you care about beside you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 - the film c
Read more

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 films
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