Sibyl

David Lynch-esque, in my street, French: Sybil, you are... a psychoanalytic romance, between a former novelist and actresses, with a sharing of the script, passion, patience, recordings... with perplexity, the unfolding of the staged puzzle, without genius, from the whisper in the ear of the complaining patient, it must be... it's dizzying, moments of interest, I complain=ridicule.

This movie is much more confusing than it needed to be which makes the immersion in the story very challenging at the start without any big payoff for the effort. It's just a way to try and make the movie seem more interesting than in reality is. Well shot and acted.

I was somewhat skeptical before entering the theater, thinking it would turn out to be another boring film about white people surrendering themselves to hordes of therapists, french woman suffering from romantic distress and so on. However, the writer/director cleverly managed to create a layered portrayal of the protagonist shrink and the world she lives in - blending in her present life, her past, the fiction novel she's writing and the movie her patient stars in. The script is mature, quirky and unpredictable enough to handle these four layers without becoming pointless and confusing. The performances are stellar, especially of Sandra Huller as the temperamental film director.

There is no dearth of past french films handling similar material. Yet somehow this film appears fresh and profusely entertaining.

Actors can be ... difficult. But Psychotherapists can be insane too ... wait what am I trying to say here again? I guess I am trying to make a point ... like the movie is. Kidding aside, people in general can be tough to read and even tougher to "cure" - especially when the one doing the curing has issues of her own.

A strange little movie that can, but that also is strange to say the least. You have to suspend your disbelief quite a lot and go with the flow. Having a love for making movies and understanding what can go on behind the scenes (it almost feels like someone is doing their own curing by doing the movie - the writer, the director, producers ... all of the above and more?) ... Interesting aspects and quite a lot of sexual tension! And one of the best drunk acting performances put on film! A strange drama/thriller, that will appeal to some and will annoy others - but it is very well done!

This is quite an interesting film and, unlike some other reviewers here, I really enjoyed the central performance. Disturbingly like Jennifer Lawrence at times, Efira handles the variety of tones and context very well, I think - despite the film deliberately taking her all over the place emotionally. I used to think that "Blue is the Warmest Colour" was the most snot-laden film I had ever seen, courtesy of Adele's copious crying, and she is well-chosen to deliver similar over-the-top distress here. In contrast, I didn't much like the director character, and for me the men were a bit too interchangeable.

Worth a look though.