Welcome to New York

I was pleased when this film became available on Netflix and then on DVD, because I am an unconditional fan of Gérard Depardieu even though he is no longer the healthy-looking star he used to be, and also because I was convinced from day one that DSK had fallen into a trap set by his political enemies. Only two people know exactly what happened that day in his hotel room, so this is indeed a fictional version, but when Depardieu's character tells his wife that he is not guilty as accused, I for one believe him. It's watchable, and almost philosophical when he talks to his very rich wife about the sharing of wealth. And if anyone is disappointed by Depardieu's performance in this movie, I recommend director Jean Becker's delightful film "La Tête en friche" (My Afternoons with Margueritte) in which Depardieu is brilliant. Jacqueline Bisset's performance here is remarkable too.

This film has many different rhythms and paces. At first the prolonged sex scenes last so long that they became uncomfortable and disturbing.Although the sex with the prostitutes was consensual Depardieux grunted in almost pig like fashion as he lost himself in debauchery and lust. It had the feel of a porn film but with believable characters. The scenes with Depardieux and Bissett often have the feel of improvisation particularly at the beginning. It would have been nice to have seen more of the victims reactions to the abuse that they were subjected too. The unrepentant nature of the lead character is alarming and brutally honest.He does not seek to be cured even after his arrest makes his life fall apart. He shows no feeling for his victims and just is a serial abuser. His blunt attempts at seduction is seen to be successful in one instance due to his wealth and status and overt womanising. Like Bad Lieutenant this film delivers moments of brutality and spiritual abandon. In both films the central characters are spiralling out of control. The Gauguin nudes on the walls of the apartment are well placed. In all despite the lengthy sex scenes and drawn out almost real time arrest the film is well constructed and well acted. The surreal almost "bad actor" dialogues between Bissett and Depardieux as they confront the aftermath of his arrest fluctuates between the inane and the poetic. I really liked the line that,"The reverse of Love is not hate but indifference" delivered by Bissett. The fact that this film is based on true events adds weight to the subject matter. A difficult film to watch and an adult film on more than one level.

Even a good cast can not save Welcome to New York from the label of mediocre.

The film tells the tale of a lecherous, moneyed Frenchman who is accused of raping a housemaid whilst staying in a ritzy New York Hotel.

Gerard Depardieu offers up a reasonable if not exceptional performance as the male lead. His character is a rather revolting, dissipated type who is driven primarily by sex, which he equates with a disease.His character is not that complex and as such, not terribly interesting.

By contrast, his long suffering wife, played by Jacqueline Bisset, offers up a passionate performance as a woman driven to pure exasperation and despair by a man she still loves in spite of his conspicuous faults.

Its a very personal drama let down by limited character development and the rather stunted story line which leaves the viewer asking what it is they have just witnessed. Indeed, Welcome to New York really amounts to little more than a reiteration of life's realities, that the world is an unfair, unjust place where money makes a huge difference and the dysfunctional go on being dysfunctional.

Five out to ten from me.

What is this piece of work? An auteur film? A low-budged shock movie like "La Grande Bouffe" or "Baise-moi"? A porno? Whatever the case, this catastrophic film makes you wonder whether Abel Ferrara has really been directing movies for 40 years. Inconsistent characters, uneven editing and dialogue lines that are laughable at best and disturbingly weak at worst make this this movie a really painful experience, like a great romantic Austrian orchestral piece performed out of tune all the way through. The exhaustingly long and slow vampire of a film that is Welcome to New York begs the questions: has the production been rushed for some troubled reason(s)? is that why it backfires on all technical levels? did they use rehearsal footage? is that why the acting is so all over the place? There are, however, a few interesting moments here and there in the film: Depardieu's monologue towards the end of the film, the lighting reflected on Jacqueline Bisset during a quarrel in the couple's home cinema. They're only details, unfortunately, and they're not powerful enough to save the film from drowning. Abel Ferrara proves that being a "unique" artist doesn't make you a "competent" one and, most of all, that you can't always blame gaucherie on art.

In New York, the French director of the World Bank Mr. Devereaux (Gérard Depardieu) is a pervert and womanizer, partying and participating in gang bangs with women. When he tries to rape the hotel housekeeper in his room, the woman reports to the police. Devereaux is arrested, affecting also the life of his wife Simone (Jacqueline Bisset).

"Welcome to New York", by Abel Ferrara, is a long, uneven and inconclusive film based on the New York v. Strauss-Kahn case. The story shows the lead character Devereaux as an egocentric, pervert and sick womanizer through excessive sex scenes and his relationship with his daughter and wife. When he is released in house arrest, the screenplay is developed at a very slow pace and is boring. However the lack of conclusion is terrible. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Bem-Vindo a Nova York" ("Welcome to New York")