France

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.