A very enjoyable discussion took place following the Robert
Burns Centre Film Theatre Film Club screening of the French film Bastards
(2013). A great deal of time was spent trying to analyse the films non-linear
narrative and work out what the film was about. And although the plot was not
absolutely clear none of the Film club actually disliked the movie!
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| Claire Denis. |
Introduced by Brendan Kearney, recently returned from ‘down
under’, who gave us a brief account of tonight’s director. Known as the dark
queen of French cinema Claire Denis was born in Paris in 1946. She was an
assistant director from 1974 until 1987 and during this period worked along
side Wim Wenders on Paris Texas
(1984) and Wings of Desire (1987).
Her own directorial body of work has dealt with themes of colonial and
postcolonial West Africa (White
Materials 2009) as well as issues in modern France (35 Shots of Rum 2008[1]).
She is said to pay more attention to the characters than the narrative, and is reputed
to ‘shot fast and edit slowly’.
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| Vincent Lindon in the ice blue Alfa. |
Her films have often proved challenging and confrontational
viewing and tonight’s film was no exception. It concerns tight-lipped Marco
Silvestri (Vincent Lindon, Mademoiselle
Chambon 2009) a captain of an oil tanker who has too return to Paris to
help his sister Sandra (Julie Batalle). Her husband has committed suicide because
of the failure of the family shoemaking business and his debts to a sinister
businessman. Sandra’s daughter Justine
(Lola Creton, Bluebeard
2009, Something
in the Air 2012) has been injured in mysterious circumstances involving
a cornhusk! Brendan went on to say that to give away any more would spoil the
movie. But he did inform us that that this was the fifth soundtrack that the
English indie band Tindersticks had produced for Denis and that Bastards would not be quite be as
atmospheric without their pulsating score.
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| Chiara Mastroianni as the mistress. |
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| Michel Subor as the businessman. |
The film is prominently dark and with her regular DOP Agnes
Godard placing her camera up close and personnel gives it a macabre noir feel.
A film that can be described as a tragedy, which like any good tragedy involves
suicide, murder, car crashes and revenge, but mainly it is shrouded and deeply
imbedded with sex: normal, abusive and incestuous. Similar to Miss
Violence (2013) its a harrowing, but slightly laboured film, one I’m
glad I had the opportunity to see, I’m not sure if I would want to see it
again, although it certainly may be clearer on repeated viewing’s?
[1] Narrative by eye and not by ear, gestures and looks 35
Shots of Rum has little or no dialogue. The story is a tender but
uncomfortable, almost incestuous relationship between a father and his
daughter. The viewer may not realise that Lionel and Jo are actually father and
daughter until its confirmed 20 minutes into the film. Based on the directors
grandfathers relationship with her mother Claire Denis 2008 film is set in high
rise blocks of flats in a suburb of Paris.
