Kelly WandA Ma Soeur!
August 19th 2006 00:39
Well "A Ma Soeur!" isn't a cozy night by the fire place. It is filled with a kind of rising dread that left me clutching the chair in fear of what the next scene would contain. When I give you a rough plot outline, you wont understand why but let me try anyway.
Sisters Anais and Elena are on holiday by the sea with their boring, disinterested parents. They spend their days exploring the local area and speculating about love and sex. Perhaps the only annoying thing about this is the fact that these two young teenagers talk like thirty five year old psychology students. Well, writer director Catherine Breillat is obviously scoring political points and all power to her. It just means I have to suspend disbelief and read copius and complicated subtitles at speed. I can live with that.
Anais lives in the shadow of her beautiful older sister and uses food as a refuge from her feelings of inadequacy. Elena meets a third year law student who appears beautiful, worldly , brilliant and kind. In reality, this boy turns out to be a particularly nasty piece of work intent on talking his way into any oriface he can. He manipulates Elena through talk of love and she is too naive to realise she is being abused.
Their sexual encounters occur in the room shared by the sisters. Anais pretends to sleep but we see the horror through her eyes. These scenes occur in lingering lengthy close ups. It is a raw as a badly grazed knee. It is uncomfortable to watch. You feel like a voyeur. You want to scream. You want to make it stop but it keeps on happening and, just like Anais, all you can do is watch.
Finally he brings her a ring so Elana will go all the way with him. Of course, she does only to have his mother show up the next day to retrieve it. The secret is out. The film descends into a nightmare of shame. The family drive home and it is the kind of journey no one wants to go on. Tension builds and builds. Traffic boxes the family in. Menace is everywhere. You know something really bad is going to happen. It is creepy as hell.
I don't even know if this film has even had an Australian release. It might not have been even granted a certificate. But, these days, if you want to see a film you can find a way.
This film will not be to all tastes but it is worth finding if you can. Ebay works wonders.
| 80 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Couldnt shake this one for days after i saw it. It just builds and builds and it took me right into the emotional turmoil.
A challenging film that I totally agree is a must see for those who can last the distance.
Comment by Bob Short
B
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
On my Blog Im pretty much just reviewing films I dont think get the attention, that I enjoy as much as the popular and reveered ones.
Obviously for that reason Im not to objective at the moment, But Im am, after all an opinionated litte turd who takes his films way to seriously as it is.
Im trying to cover all genres, though.
Comment by Bob Short
In the next couple of dys, I'll give your blog a visit. I'm just flat out full on at the moment with limited computer access!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD