Chris Knipp Writing: Movies, Politics, Art


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PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 3:37 pm 
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Strange ways of loving

This West Coast premiere film and contender for the SFIFF SKY Prize depicts a triangle that occurs when a young woman starts an affair with an employee where her husband is incarcerated. Hattu worked with Andre Téchiné on Wild Reeds and Les Voleurs. This is his first feature-length film. Maïté (Valerie Donzelli) faithfully visits her sexy, intense husband Vincent (Bruno Bruno Todeschini of Ozon's 5x2), when she's spotted by a pale, pointy-faced man (Cyril Troley) who says he's there to visit his brother Jean. Having been advised by her nurse friend Djamila (Nadia Kaci) to take a lover, she consents to mechanical sex with Jean in a car. The relationship continues and intensifies. It's not till some time later that Maïté learns Jean is a guard at the prison, not a visitor, and that in fact he is friendly with Vincent and is making life easier for him. Maité's life revolves around this strange triangle; she gives up an opportunity to work in a beauty parlor to take care of Djamila's feisty little boy Julien (Pablo De La Torre) during the days. Another surprise comes latter.

For a film about deprivation, 7 Years nonetheless manages to be brim-full of sensuality, gestures, words, smells expressing longing and excitement, and there are plenty of scenes of sex real and imaginary. The film's drollest aspect is that not only is Jean equally important in both Maïté and Vincent's lives, but to Jean himself, his relationship with Vincent seems as important as his relationship with Maïté. Half way through one begins to wonder: Is Jean bisexual? And his face has that longing, Taste of Honey look. Suffice it to say, things get more and more intense -- and twisted, though in a quite logical way. This film is good at using limited means to arouse complicated emotions. It's a solid piece of work, but has nothing special about it to make it memorable. The plot structure is such that the story fizzles out somewhat at the end. The film feels like the product of a sophisticated tradition but also a somewhat exhausted one.

Shown as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival 2007.

SHOWTIMES
Sat, May 5 / 09:30 / Clay /
Mon, May 7 / 07:00 / Kabuki /
Wed, May 9 / 01:00 / Kabuki /

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