When the Sea Rises

Have you ever felt angry, and I mean infuriated over a movie just because it was lousy? I did. Several times. I was furious at the Waschawski brothers after viewing the incomprehensible Matrix reloaded. I was disdained of Mel Gibson after realizing that Lethal Weapon 4 turned out to be a miserable piece of cinematic, hmmm, bodily secretion. In the past I used to believe that my anger was derived from the fact that I wasted a share of my residual income to watch it. after watching this film I believe I figured out the real reason. I'll get back to that later.

Irene (Yolande Moreau in a Terrific performance) is a comedian doing a one-woman comedy act that runs well all over France. In every show Irene's character,a Middle aged, mask wearing woman chooses a volunteer from the audience to "fall in love with" and to establish a stable future until the end of times or at least until the show is over.

At a certain point, one of the volunteers, a Flemmic guy named Dries (Wim Willaert in a superb performance as well) who, it seems, has a big heart and a not a matching cerebrum, forms a friendship with Irene who, at that point in time, seeks a friendly companion in a lonely business where the vast majority of the conversations with one's loved ones, are done over the phone.

Time goes on and the evolved friendship continues. Irene tours in some other location and continues her fling with Dries, finding comfort in their childish behavior and conversations that are comprised of life altering declarations like "Life with you is nice".

If you want to get the hang of the film, read the last paragraph about six more times. Consecutively.

Throughout the film a thought had entered my mind: Why this film was made in the first place? The script has a few good moments but no climax of any kind, the plot is close to non-existent, the romance between Irene and Dries stagnates on most parts and even the seemingly funny comedy act of Irene doesn't garner any laughs from those who are located outside the movie.

That's what I find to be so insulting. Bad movies were made and will continue to be made, I know that every time I purchase a ticket. What I DO expect to see in every movie made is a story, a detailed turn of events designed to leave the viewer awe inspired or at least entertained. I'm sure there was a reason why Yolande Moreau chose this film to be her directorial debut but I just haven't figured out what that reason might be.

This film has its perks, though, and a major plus of this film, aside from the great acting, is the look on the french quaint little cities that are not part of the France tourist guide. 70 million tourists visit this country every year and they leave thinking that France is either Suave-Paris or sun Laden Riviera. This movie shows, and shows well, the France beyond the postcards.

This portrait of France for some reason, left quite the impression that the main story failed to leave. If you ever came out of a restaurant feeling that the good dressing was wasted on a poorly made steak, than you know how I felt at the end of this movie.

4 out of 10 in My FilmOmeter.

"When the Sea Rises (Quand la mer monte...)" is like a French intellectual "Almost Famous" about grown-ups, with a frisson of the Italian "Bread and Tulips (Pane e tulipani)" about a middle-aged woman's self-discovery.

When Hollywood realizes that an American adaptation can be made by touring small towns, I'm sure the lead will not look like Yolande Moreau's "Irene" 45-year-old Roseanne Barr-look alike comic performance artist touring a satirical one-person show that's translated as "Nasty Business: Sex and Violence." The American will be a thin, pretty chick singer and the never-seen husband (probably will just be a fiancé) at home will be a lot less sympathetic and there will not be a child there to make her feel that much more guilty.

Doubtless the U.S. version will play up the contrast between romantic lyrics and her life, while this very unusually finds the feeling behind feminist humor about romance. There's funny lines that can be taken verbatim, as she mulls over "sugar waffles or romance". Yes, just her coming out on stage in a shapeless shift with a gargoyle-type mask seeking a lover she declares her "chicken" is funny, let alone that the red powder we see her cover herself in is ostensibly the blood of her last lover. The film sweetly illustrates that old stand by of why a woman chooses a guy: "He made me laugh."

The work a day world of touring the provinces that we don't usually get to see in French films is marvelously portrayed and is based on the co-writer/director/star's own experiences on the road, as we see many different performances of her actual show and how audience participation changes it. There's very amusing vignettes of the trials and tribulations of performing in county fairs, nursing homes, primary schools and cultural centers of no interest to most in the community to a high-brow comedy festival (with its too heavy-handed, very French philosophical discussion about what is comedy and can women be funny). We can get the class differences of beer vs. wine drinkers without this kind of talk.

The groupie mechanic she attracts is more problematical and his attitude and actions constantly keep us off kilter. Is he a stalker? Does he have a screw loose? (The American version would make much more of the background TV news stories about a serial killer con man on the loose to raise our and her suspicions.) Can he tell fantasy from reality as he follows her around and ingratiates himself into her show every night as he seems to react to her brazen stage persona so different from her off-stage life, like Leslie Caron with the marionettes in "Lili" or like the hypnotized Giulietta Masina in "Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria)." Does he separate her on and off stage or is she changing? Her discomfort at being seen as "silly" becomes her ultimate put down of him.

His side avocation of providing the giant puppets for floats (in a poorly translated explanation) for colorful parades seems too symbolic, but is a lot of fun to see, especially as he morphs into her fantasies, such as imagining him as Don Quixote. It almost seemed a satire of all those chick flicks where the up tight woman finds romance in a little village that just happens to have a festival, as in "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "A Walk in the Clouds," as this guy and his cohorts bring their own parade with them. One scene where they chase live chickens on the road is way too obvious.

The road trip is presented through lovely cinematography, particularly as they take side trips off the beaten path at beautiful settings and surroundings.

The poor subtitles significantly blunt the film for English viewers, and not just for what seems to be poorly translated jokes. Not only is there a confusing scene where English subtitles are put directly over French ones as the character is speaking in another language (Flemish I'm told) so that they are illegible, but the opera lyrics aren't translated. This turns out to be crucial for those who are made to feel embarrassingly uneducated, amidst feeling charmed by the film, as I didn't realize that was "La Traviata" playing over and over and that the libretto had some resonance to the story. Similarly, it was only by staying through the last credit that I discovered that the movie's title referred to a song that was evidently also not translated so I missed that meaning.

The credits very nicely thank all the towns and audiences where the show was performed.

An American version would also have a different ending.

I saw this at the 2005 Palm Springs International Film Festival. This is an unlikely, surreal story of Irène and Dries. Yolande Moreau co-wrote and co-directed this film with first-time Director Gilles Porte and she turns in an excellent acting job here. Irène is a middle-aged woman who has a one-woman comedy show where she dresses in a striped shapeless house dress and wears a pointed nose mask and has bloodstained arms. Her show might theoretically play well in France but to an American audience it's pretty bizarre. Like some kind of early 19th century minstrel performer. Dries, as played by Wim Willaert, gets such a kick out of her show and ultimately her that he goes to every performance she gives. He has an equally bizarre job in that he is a porter of carnival giants. Giant wickerwork and paper-maché effigies of people that are carried about in festivals in some areas of France, Belgium and Germany. The younger good looking Dries and the older dowdy Irène end up in an unlikely romance. This is a strange film but intriguing and displays a visual artistry that is far beyond it's low budget. I would rate this a 6.0 but recommend seeing it just to experience something different.

An attractive and unsettling film about how we act when placed in unfamiliar situations, and how relationships can creep up on us in spite of ourselves.

The characters are cleverly handled - the female lead, comedian/actress Irène, is touring Northern France with her one-woman show, in which she plays a hideously masked widow with a horrible secret. The show is ironically titled "A dirty business: sex and crime". Yet she appears comfortable in this role, and has a settled family life, evidenced in her cellphone conversations.

The male lead, on the other hand, despite his uncertain role in the conventional socio-economic matrix (he is frequently described as a "drifter" in many reviews), also challenges the viewer's easy assumptions by displaying strong moral, artistic and cultural roots. It is he who challenges himself by joining in Irène's show, and who ultimately displays the stronger moral sensibilities. He also has a sympathetic circle of friends, and a happy social life, which contrasts sharply with Irène's lonely hotel nights.

These complex characters retain our sympathy throughout, while continuing to unsettle us. Each of us, in our lives, whether we are like Irène or Dries, is only a choice (whether good or bad) away from entering a strange and possibly wonderful, possibly damaging relationship.

The quirky, alienating sets (including a steelworks and a Flemish giant-maker's workshop) and geographical location (straddling the Franco-Belgian border, where Flemish and French cultures overlap) add to the film's interest, and give it a powerful sense of place. Dries himself is a native Flemish (Dutch) speaker, and the return to his adoptive parents' house, which provides a brief (unsubtitled) plunge into the Dutch language, is bewildering for both the viewer as well as Irène (although the actress playing the character is herself half-Flemish).

Ultimately, the film is both sad and uplifting, and challenges our assumptions about the way we value individuals on the basis of their roles in society.

Its a film that captures the intimacy of feelings in a very honest way, the photography and choice of scenes is superb and the additional excellent soundtrack just help to magnify and intensify the emotions of both the characters and the audience... the acting is honest and convey the feelings of the characters in an intimate way, as an artist myself I was connected to the story and experiences portrayed there, the love story which is portrayed is both honest and complicated and there are this magical nonsensical moments included

I would recommend this movie from my heart to anyone who love good quality cinema but especially to artists and for the traveling type of artists- I think it would touch their hearts!