|
FRIDAY NIGHT Send This Review to a Friend
French director Claire Denis is especially adept at telling a story with emphasis on the visual, and she follows this pattern effectively in "Friday Night," in which Laure (Valérie Lemercier) becomes stuck in a Paris traffic jam during a strike. As a result she meets Jean (Vincent Lindon) and they retreat for a torrid night of sex. Did it really happen, or was it in Laure's imagination stimulated by concerns about the next phase of her life? Reality or fantasy, it doesn't really matter because the incident goes to the heart of her emotional needs.
The film, which was showcased at the 2002 New York Film Festival and is now getting a commercial release in the United States, moves slowly and very deliberately. Denis works her special approach to the hilt. At a Unifrance and French Cultural Office luncheon, I asked Denis about what was intended, and she said that perhaps Laure wasn't sure herself whether it happened. She added that when the idea has been discussed men mostly seem to think it was fantasy while women are more certain it happened. Perhaps that says something in itself.
Denis's work is for those who get caught up in her mindset and her dependence on mood. I enjoy relating to her when she's on target, and in this case, her film is helped enormously by its stars. Lemercier is interesting to watch, as is Lindon, who is getting more and more roles these days. Also, the idea of making an audience think about what's real and what isn't and try to put the pieces together gives the film added impetus.
Denis is clearly tapping into attitudes toward life and sex on the part of women. In this case, the male is the catalyst for a woman's range of fantasy as opposed to conventional choices. No matter how you look at "Friday Night," it is different from all other nights in Laure's life, and for the viewer it's a very different night of moviegoing. Check it out. A Wellspring release.
|