Viva la vida

First off, the IMDb rating is criminal. 'Viva La Vie' should be averaging in the highest 7's IMO. On the positive side, going in with such low expectations, I was floored by how cool, and progressive this film is, and it's given me another under-exposed, excellent film to prosthelytize about to fellow film fans.

It's a fascinating film that I'd highly recommend to art house film lovers. I watched this film with a friend who is a fellow cinema fan, who can reasonably often have a different opinion than me on films. He loved it too, and we were both puzzled at the super low average this film has received.

I guess you could say that some people would be a little lost trying to decipher this film, but most should have no problem what so ever. To me, there are Charlie Kaufman qualities to this script. It keeps you guessing what is illusion and what is reality.

The Criterion Collection needs a few Claude Lelouch films, and this one is a prime candidate of a hidden gem. 'Le Voyou' would be a good pick as well. One doesn't want to know much about the plot going in, and Claude Lelouch actually turns up in the film to urge viewers to not spoil it for people who haven't yet seen the film.

Lelouch has made a number of absolutely wonderful films. This is not one of them. It is a giant stinking pile of codswallop. An abomination. An insult to the viewer's intelligence. Nothing makes sense. And if that's the point (?), then when I dump a gallon of blue paint on a large white canvas and pepper it with pepperoni, I'm sure I'll have a painting worth millions. But Charlotte Rampling is certainly easy on the eyes.

After four minutes of this enigmatic French movie its director Claude Lelouch himself appears on the screen. In a radio interview he insists that one should watch his new film without knowing anything about the story. So I won't tell either what is exactly happening in "Viva la vie!". Nonetheless, I'd like to give a few hints: It is a mixture of thriller, mystery and sci-fi. In a broader sense it has to do with the fear of a nuclear holocaust which is quite typical of the 1980s. This movie is a strange puzzle: Not before the end titles you will be able to put the pieces together which Lelouch has scattered in front of you during the last 105 minutes. After circa one hour you might ask: What on earth is it all about? Don't worry, you'll find the answer in the end. But to recapitulate the story which you'll then see in a different light, at least one further watching will be necessary.

Considering the baffling story as well as the row of good actors (Piccoli, Rampling, Trintignant…), "Viva la vie!" is an underrated highlight of the French cinema in the 80s. 9/10