This French drama was directed and co-written by one of the stalwarts of the French film industry Andre Techine. It has an all-star cast which includes the veteran award winning actor Andre Dussollier and the very talented Carole Bouquet.
At the outset, Dussollier portraying Francis a famous crime novelist, has come to Venice to rest and hopefully write his next book. He meets Bouquet, the real estate agent showing him possible living accommodations, and they seem to hit it off. This takes place amidst the spectacular cinematography of the outlying waterways of Venice, where both ocean liners and small boats co-exist.
He says he will rent the very expensive home she's showing him if she will move in with him. After thinking about it and consulting with a friend, and former lover of hers (portrayed by Adriana Asti), she accepts.
However, we quickly learn this idyllic setting in the early parts of the film will not last long. As various characters come in and out of the movie, I found almost all of them to be very unlikeable and some of their actions to be actually despicable.
For example, when Dussollier's daughter (portrayed by Melanie Thierry) comes to visit him and Bouquet, who are now married, she ends up completely disappearing and abandoning her young daughter and husband. When Dussollier hires Asti, a former Private Investigator, to find her Asti discovers she has run off with a drug dealer. Later, Thierry ends up sending her father a porno tape of her and the drug dealer just to infuriate him, as apparently they've had a long history of conflicts.
This is just one example of many. The acting and the dialogue are strong and as mentioned the cinematography is wonderful, but I found by the end of the movie I really didn't care what happened to any of these people.
Also, a note of caution: There is a scene in the film where a dog is suddenly murdered and I found this to be brutal to have witnessed.
In summary, this French drama left me as cold and unfeeling as the people in it.
At the outset, Dussollier portraying Francis a famous crime novelist, has come to Venice to rest and hopefully write his next book. He meets Bouquet, the real estate agent showing him possible living accommodations, and they seem to hit it off. This takes place amidst the spectacular cinematography of the outlying waterways of Venice, where both ocean liners and small boats co-exist.
He says he will rent the very expensive home she's showing him if she will move in with him. After thinking about it and consulting with a friend, and former lover of hers (portrayed by Adriana Asti), she accepts.
However, we quickly learn this idyllic setting in the early parts of the film will not last long. As various characters come in and out of the movie, I found almost all of them to be very unlikeable and some of their actions to be actually despicable.
For example, when Dussollier's daughter (portrayed by Melanie Thierry) comes to visit him and Bouquet, who are now married, she ends up completely disappearing and abandoning her young daughter and husband. When Dussollier hires Asti, a former Private Investigator, to find her Asti discovers she has run off with a drug dealer. Later, Thierry ends up sending her father a porno tape of her and the drug dealer just to infuriate him, as apparently they've had a long history of conflicts.
This is just one example of many. The acting and the dialogue are strong and as mentioned the cinematography is wonderful, but I found by the end of the movie I really didn't care what happened to any of these people.
Also, a note of caution: There is a scene in the film where a dog is suddenly murdered and I found this to be brutal to have witnessed.
In summary, this French drama left me as cold and unfeeling as the people in it.