Directed by Bruno Dumont
Starring Léa Seydoux, Blanche Gardin, and Benjamin Biolay
Released in theaters Dec. 10, 2021
Available to rent or buy on various streaming services, including Amazon Prime
K and I like to spend an hour or so in the evening watching TV shows and movies together. By together, I mean we are next to one another. Each on our own iPad.
I’d like to spend more time watching the same shows with K so we can talk about them. But the current protocol is for me to suggest a movie from my list and for her to respond, yes or no. The problem: My list doesn’t often overlap with hers. And if the movie I suggest isn’t already on her list, her answer is usually no.
Last night, we chose a movie from her list. And we watched it together.
France is a French movie about a TV journalist. I thought it was good, although nothing about it was entirely comprehensible. It has a point of view. I think. And it has a very charismatic lead actor. But the direction is both too retro-artsy and too avant-garde for my comfort zone. It’s a film that gets you thinking the next day, which is great. But mostly by raising such questions as, “Why didn’t her husband say a single thing to her about the front-page tabloid report on her indiscretion?”
I recommend France, but with a caveat. It may leave you with the same level of confusion as it left us. And it was panned by several critics who saw it as a Black Comedy, which it is not.
Still, it was serious and interesting and engaging. I’d give it 3.75 out of 5 stars.
The Plot:
Léa Seydoux stars as France de Meurs, a seemingly unflappable superstar TV journalist whose career, home life, and psychological stability are turned upside-down after she carelessly drives into a young delivery man on a busy street. This triggers a series of self-reckonings as well as a strange romance that proves impossible to shake. As France attempts to slow down and retreat into a simpler, anonymous life, her fame continues to pursue her.
What I Liked About It:
All the things it didn’t do, including make clear the auteur’s view of French media and its darlings. I also very much liked the face of Léa Seydoux, who plays the lead, and the banter between her and Blanche Gardin, who plays Lou, her producer/agent/friend and booster.
What I Didn’t Like So Much:
Several of the “scenic” shots that lasted 10 to 15 seconds longer than I felt they should have, and some close-ups that were three to four seconds too long.
Critical Reception
* “Something here feels lost in translation. France is like trying to complete a puzzle when one of the pieces is missing.” (Adam Graham, Detroit News)
* “Even when it’s outlining its own ideas more through rhetoric than character, France keeps us on our toes regarding what’s around the corner.” (Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune)
* “In part because of the depth of Seydoux’s performance, the film becomes less an allegory of a nation and more a gripping character study, a portrait of a mask of personal and professional regard slowly slipping away.” (Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times)
* “For those willing to take it seriously, there’s a lot here to unpack. The rest will probably just reach for the remote.” (Peter Debruge, Variety)
You can watch the trailer here.
