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VA SAVOIR (WHO KNOWS?) Send This Review to a Friend
At heart "Va Savoir (Who Knows?)," Jacques Rivette's film chosen to open the 39th New York Film Festival, is a backstage drama. But it is so much more. This is Rivette, this is Paris and this is a highly sophisticated probe of relationships in a rarified atmosphere illuminated by the exquisite and masterly talent of a director who has carved a key place for himself in contemporary French cinema. Rivette, who co-wrote the screenplay with Pascal Bonitzer and Christine Laurent, is at the top of his craft here and the film shows it in virtually every frame.
Of course, not every viewer will be attuned to the style and substance of the world that Rivette has created. But for those swept into his realm, the rewards are plentiful. Gradually he involves us in the lives of interesting characters, who are played in faultless performances by a dream cast, and always there is the splendid look of the film, photographed by William Lubtchansky and derived from scenic wanderings that make Paris come vividly alive. It is enjoyable just to pause and pay attention to the settings, but that is difficult because the interplay of the characters is so absorbing. Although the running time is two hours and a half, "Va Savoir" is a film that bears re-viewing.
The intriguing Jeanne Balibar, who has an unusual, distinctive face that makes her fascinating to watch apart from her exceptional acting ability, plays Camille, an actress who has been working in Italy for three years and is unsettled and nervous when she returns to Paris to perform in a play and experiences the pangs of coming back to the scene of her relationship with Pierre, a former lover. Now she is involved with her stage director, Ugo, but seeing Pierre again proves to be emotionally dangerous, even though Pierre is married. It is interesting that the play is Luigi Pirandello's "As You Desire Me," and scenes on stage not only add color to the film, but the very choice of Pirandello reminds us of the playwright's concern with ambiguities.
The men who play rivals Ugo and Pierre, Sergio Castellitto and Jacques Bonnaffe respectively, are strong in their roles representing different types with different agendas. Ugo is searching for a lost play by Carlo Goldoni and Pierre is an academic. Ugo's life is complicated when he meets Do, a young student, played by the very beautiful Helene de Fougerolles, who falls in love with him, but Ugo is afraid to become overly involved even though he finds her so fetching. Marianne Basler gives another fine performance as Pierre's wife Sonia, who has been illicit with Do's thieving brother Arthur, portrayed with slippery charm by Bruno Todeschini.
This offers a solid lode of situations and relationships to be followed and resolved, and in other hands the result might be a tighter, more direct story. But what Rivette supplies in great quantity is a rich texture. It is the difference between a master and a competent storyteller. There are opportunities to think about what makes characters click together, choices between fleeting satisfactions and enduring love, the passion for one's art balanced with the need for emotional happiness and the classic role of the theater itself, which is renewed from generation to generation. The question of what value the rare Goldoni manuscript would have if discovered is raised. If the manuscript were not produced as a stage play it would have greater financial worth than if it were a play seen by the public. What choice would the owner make?
In short, Rivette has given us a classy work and plaudits are due the selection committee of the New York Film Festival for recognizing its artistry and shining the opening night spotlight on it. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
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