Several reviewers who rated this movie at 8 to 10 stars here have expressed what I thought about the movie, and I salute their observations and clarity.
Watching French films is a solitary pleasure in my household, I'm the only one, so only rarely do I get to see one, subtitles and all. This was a fun one, especially for chess players like me.
I recall Amelie, Red, White, Blue, and a few others. One thing seems consistent: French movies describe struggle but almost never resolution. Joueuse ends unresolved, right? What finally happens? You get to wonder. But that's fun, too!
Especially enjoyable is sampling the way the people live. She lives in a small apartment; she rides a bicycle downhill to work. Amenities are few; even the luxuries in the homes are basic, traditional.
I was guessing the setting was Corsica because the characters refer to going to the "mainlaind." The film definitely transports you to a different world from suburban U. S.
Kevin Kline is just a superb actor, you wouldn't know he isn't French. Sandrine Bonnaire so wonderfully embodies Helene. As some other reviewers noticed -- the facial expressions of these two characters and others (the husband and daughter, for examples) are so marvelously nuanced. When you're relying upon subtitles, the facial expressions and body language convey the overtones and subtleties that the words on the screen just can't.
Enjoy this film! I'm going to watch it again!
