One to Another

This film is worthwhile for the soundtrack alone. And just as worthwhile in every other way.

Lots of tasteful nudity and sex between uninhibited young friends. Very enjoyable for both young and old to watch. The whole cast is beautiful, like they were born not to wear clothes. Someone complained after the screening that they were too beautiful. I didn't see that as a problem.

The criminal mystery and story background is revealed piece by piece out of chronological order in a series of flashbacks. That is difficult to do well, but here it's done skillfully and adds to the story rather than making it difficult to understand.

At the premiere at the Toronto Film Festival many people walked out of the screening. That surprised me. Sure there's a lot of nudity, but the film festival audience usually expects that and takes it in stride. The film is very French, and perhaps that could alienate Americans used to seeing only Hollywood films. The people who walked out of the film were mostly men. That surprised me too. Perhaps they were offended by the bisexual elements of the film? For anyone who likes film, especially anyone who likes French cinema, this is a must see.

We're told this was based on a true story. Okay. The potential was there for a truly powerful, shattering film. Well, it isn't. However, I stayed glued to the screen due to the beauty of the cast. The girl, a throwback to the cookie females of the 60's and the boys one more cinematic than the other. It is difficult to guess - and why should anyone care - the intention of the filmmakers. An art film this is not and it's not a commercial venture, not really. If money was their objective they could have gone all the way. No. The film sort of works because one feels titilated by those eyes and those looks. So if their intention was to titillate they succeeded, big time. I wish this story could be re told with the same cast but with a great imaginative, powerful filmmaker at the helm.

Like so many screenwrites that minimize a functional plot and are based on jarring juxtapositions of elements truly extraneous to the story, (if you can find one in this film), one is left bored but befuddled. Quite a feat of genius--and then, let's throw in a kitchen sink (or two) and melodramatize the melodrama a bit further with all the kitchen sinks having sexual problems. And, as though any elegance might be wasted on the philistine masses anticipated to watch this thing, let's give the characters a good dowsing with Eau de Banal: let's say they are all in a band, and make them act so miraculously casual when confronted by each other's conceits that it seems the writer was trying hard to force accessible in ludicrous loads down watchers' throats. Doltish performances, mishandled script dynamics, and the shaky pursuit of post-modernist neo-realism all packs up together and forms a very cheesy fromage that no normal person could possibly suspend disbelief for in order to receive and swallow, and swallow, and swallow.

This is the kind of film that I want to get away from virtually every minute I am watching it but there is so much nudity, frontal, rear, sideways, that I remain glued to my chair anxiously awaiting the next shot of pubic hair. The story, which apparently is based on true events that occurred in France, is an absolute mess. Who can even begin to follow it? There are so many flashbacks, flash forwards and flash everything else that you just sit there enjoying all the nubile flesh in its various contortions which are quite varied and utterly shocking, frankly. I'm such a small town prude. Just can't help it. The lead, a stunning young French girl is never boring to look at but you do want to strangle her she gets on your nerves so much.

Visually, it's a fine movie. It looks great, with an attractive cast, excellent color cinematography, especially the lighting, and well-composed frames.

And the story is based on true events, provocative, at that. Four young guys, and one young woman named Lucie, explore life and love, perform in a band, and generally hang out together in modern day France. One of the guys (Pierre) is Lucie's brother. When Pierre goes missing and is presumed dead, Lucie sets about to find out what happened to him.

Except for the musical performances, "Chacun sa nuit" is generally a slow, quiet film, with very long camera "takes". Characters spend a lot of time lounging around in the nude, sulking, dawdling, brooding, lost in thought. The script is not overly talky, thankfully. Indeed, the dialogue is measured, deliberate, contemplative.

But, the film's structure is difficult, for several reasons. First, the script's inciting incident happens off-screen, which renders some confusion as to what is going on, in the first half. Second, events do not occur chronologically. Instead, flashbacks to the time when Pierre was alive alternate with events after his death. And that compounds the confusion, especially the first time I watched the film. The second viewing did help to clarify the plot.

In addition, given that the other three guys (Nicolas, Sebastien, and Baptiste) are all about the same age, the same height, and have similar appearances, I found it hard to keep them straight ... so to speak.

I wish the film's script had gone through another rewrite or two. A few changes here and there could have clarified who was who and what was happening. But despite a less than perfect script, "Chacun sa nuit" is a film worth watching, for the beautiful cinematography; for the provocative, underlying concept; and for a story that is based on real-life events.