I Love You, I Love You Not

I was subjected to this movie a couple of nights ago and I have to say - it is the worst film I've seen in a long time. The whole story is sickly sweet. Clare Danes looks (and acts) like she is about 12. The writing is terrible - it has some of the cheesiest lines ever. It is worth watching for the tacky zoom shot in the very last scene. Don't waste your time.

A girl who loves to stay with her grandmother who was a jew survivor from the "camps" of Hitler, but hides her story, falls in love with an athlete guy in a high-school where the teens have prejudice against her and her way of life. Sweet, but slow movie, although Danes and Moreau are superb.

For me this film is unsuccessful in intermingling the issue of antisemitism with the coming of age of a relatively studious young woman. On one level the Jude Law character might be only marginally deeper than his disgustingly callow friends. He is attracted by the young woman's seriousness and relatively shy affection for him but this attraction is offset by her social conservatism. The depth of any antisemitism in him or amongst his silly friends is never explored. In the end the motivation of his character, and the point of the film, elude me. An interpretation that springs to mind is that gentiles do not feel the significance of the holocaust, that they trivialise it. Part of coming of age for jewish girls is therefore that they should (or simply do) experience failed love affairs with gentiles. The fact that these affairs fail for these reasons is somehow constructively educational for the girls. I truly hope this is not intended to be the message.

I had to watch this movies twice. The first viewing left me a bit off kilter, a bit confused - as to how I felt about the film (the performances etc..) and the story. What I have decided after watching it over: This story is unique, nice. I felt the 3 main roles where well given. Claire Danes is the classic thoughtful and misunderstood child [My so called Life leading the way for teenage 'angst' series; Juliet - in Romeo and Juliet]. She pulls off the dreamy look. Jude Law, a fitting choice for Daisy's shy affections as her 'perfect' guy. The rest of the cast? Gone. Scratch all of them. I felt James Van Der Beek was totally unconvincing as a taunter/verbal bully (?). There were definitely angles in the film that needed work - particularly Ethan's character, and his interaction with his friends. If you try and come to some conclusion about them - you draw a blank. An intended one? I don't know. As well as Daisy's home life needed work. I can't decide whether it is left out on purpose or not.

The directing, for me, was what ultimately let the story down rather than enhancing it. No lingering shots, no closeups where there should have been, particularly during Ethan and Daisy's interaction. It's hard to explain, but the shot's didn't work. Didn't create the feeling the movie needed to work.

And this is a story that deserves to work.

a nice little story of a bit of a confused girl...i loved the setting and the actors. nothing gets explored too deeply, expect the ups and downs of daisy (clair danes). its a movie i think more young females can relate too and it is a simple, sweet movie worth looking at. u feel at times that u can relate to the main character and sometimes she seems to take things a little further than she should, but it is all part of the person she is. I really loved the movie, but i'd say its more of a chick flick. Worth the watch if u'r looking for an easy, slower movie.