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Pretty Good

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

As Good As It Gets

Admirable film.

The movie is visually stunning and all the actors did a good job, but it tries too hard to be artistic and it mostly fails.The two main male characters have deep talks about life, love, family and their meaning, discussion which is constantly shown in flashbacks, repeating the last minute of the previous one, but they lack substance. It tries to be witty, and that it's pretty obvious, but it fails.The relationship of them is never truly explained, also leaving the viewer with a confusing open ending - again, it tried not to be "in your face", to make you think, to discover things by yourself but it couldn't raise to the stakes raised by itself.The director, Zabou Breitman wasn't at her first try in the movie industry; now, I don't know how her other films hold up, they don't have a page on Wikipedia, nor on RottenTomatoes and her directed films on IMDb don't have a rating yet (maybe all that means something too), even if released years ago, but if the others are the same, they aren't worthy.On the bright side, it's cinematography is really great, it has some beautiful shot moments, she knows her way around the camera - too bad they don't integrate very well into the film.4/10

This film is so well photographed, produced, acted, scripted, etc., I feel a bit caddish for complaining about any aspect of it. The photography is beautiful, lush at times, and often original. Much of the story takes place in dreams, or in a dream-like state, and the cinematographer does a good job conveying as much. The film returns repeatedly to segments of an all night conversation between the two male leads, revealing nothing particularly extraordinary. Their dialog is the kind college kids have when they're talking about The Meaning of It All. But aspects of that discussion are played off against events occurring around them in the days that follow. It's a nice structure, one that lends itself to the dreamy photography.I think the film could have been truly great if just a bit of the thematic and visual metaphors had been scaled back. This slight excess is noticeable, and that, I think, is a shame. Don't get me wrong--this is so far and away above the quality of most gay cinema it's definitely worth seeing, and thoroughly enjoyable. I think Netflix has categorized this film as Foreign, rather than as Gay & Lesbian. It's French, so it clearly belongs to the former, but it is also a top tier example of the latter.

..........or: "Fred Discovers He's Been Missing Something" (alternate title for this Comment).This is a love story........a falling-in-love story. Yes, it's a love story, pure and simp.... Oh, wait, it's not so simple after all. Just think how shattering it must be to have spent the majority of your adult life in a happy and loving heterosexual marriage.......only to have a day come along, like any ordinary day, until it changes to one in which you meet a someone of the same sex, and unexpectedly there starts the beginnings of a new love.In this "typically French" film, we're fairly quickly introduced to two men: Frederic ("F"), a seemingly happily married man with wife (Frederique), child and extended family residing in their vacation villa. We first see scenes not only of this fairly large group's family interactions, but also intimate interludes between just this man and his wife. Closeness, caressing and kissing abound in this couple's first scenes (but, wait.......we then discover that physical intercourse, on his part, seems to have become difficult to achieve). We then meet our second male lead, Hugo ("H"), a graphic designer who resides next door. He's an unashamedly "out" gay man who, through the course of the film, becomes as increasingly fascinating to our villa resident as that vacationer becomes to him. "H" is a man who happily and easily frequents a local gay bar, as well as "entertains" a string of handsome young men in his home. One of the first times we and Frederic are invited into H's home/studio we are confronted by a stunningly beautiful young god of a man----nude and seemingly levitated far above our heads in a semi-fetal sleeping position. It is an image that any famed museum/gallery in the world would die for. There is also an hours long conversation between just these two men, touching on life philosophy and love among other areas. We look in on it at various points throughout the entire film. It's during these hours, as their comfort with one another deepens, that we watch as Hugo becomes more touchy-feely with Frederic, who himself becomes more comfortably at ease. Revealingly, we then witness their time together coming to its early morning conclusion, with "H" leaving for home, while softly voicing to "F" the ultimate in personal compliments. I must ask here what would be your reaction, dear reader, if your newfound and liked, departing companion directed to you the words, "You're devastating?" Ah, yes.......well, for Frederic it obviously becomes the start of something completely new and different in his life.Complimenting these intensely personal and emotional scenes, there is a stunningly beautiful progression of outdoor / landscape scenes, one in particular showing a morning run, ankle-injured Frederic being carried home on Hugo's back, wending their way through a very large field of what appears to be blooming garlic (unusually lovely, to say the least), and then through a huge and magnificent field of sunflower blooms. Tellingly, "F's" arms are clasped around "H's" shoulders and neck, with the side of his face resting against the back of Hugo's head (and this is the scene unhappy wife, Frederique, sees upon their arrival at the villa). Shortly follows a quickening of the recuperating Frederic's feelings for the other man as we see him, half dozing on a patio lounge chair, sensing the presence of another, and finally opening his eyes to a quietly arrived and serious faced Hugo. A smile slowly lighting his features, "H" utters: "I came to see about you. I'll get back to work now." The look of self-satisfaction then appearing on "F's" face tells us more than could a thousand words.Perhaps the most significant indication of the depth of growth in the relationship of these two men occurs near film's end, upon Frederic's learning of Hugo's impending temporary departure from the area. Limping his way to seek out "H," he finds him outside the area's gay nightclub. Responding to Hugo's questions, "Why did you come? Why are you here? You want to tell me something?" Frederic responds: "You're leaving...." Frederic then approaches "H" to bring them standing as physically close as possible, forehead to forehead, eyes closed. After a few moments, "F" turns suddenly and departs (it is this scene's DVD Chapter heading that the film director has labeled: "In Love"----methinks she knows of what she speaks).Lastly, having just shortly ago spoken of Frederique ("F's" spouse), this movie can be pretty much described as one, long downhill slide for her, emotionally and relationship-wise. Her last scenes are ones of frantic---and nude---ravings over her perceived connubial losses.AND, as to what Fred's future lifestyle plans for himself are, you'll have to watch this film and decide for yourself. To help you through this a little, in his last scene he does say to his sleeping, small son: "I'm wobbly, imperfect, broken pawed, heart-in-tatters. I love you, but know I still have to grow up. I'll come back. I'll come back to spar with you again."So, dear readers of this page and viewers of this film, what do you think is the meaning of his final words........and what can they possibly portend for Hugo?(NOTE: There are some film negatives---a number of surreal-ish camera shots with little or no accompanying explanation. While sometimes pretty and catching, they do distract from forward movement, as do a number of, frankly, unneeded family activity scenes.)PS--If you're wondering about this Comment's title ("...little chair by the bed"), you'll just have to check out the film for yourself. Happy viewing.PPS--This film is becoming "Addictive" to me. ***Other such habit formers: "Just A Question Of Love" (Wow) / "Brokeback Mountain" / "Boy Culture" / "All Over The Guy" / "Second Skin" / "The Man I Love" / "Latter Days" / "The Mudge Boy".****

Zabou Breitman is a director/writer to watch notwithstanding her acting portfolio. If she was in Hollywood, she would be labeled a "triple threat", hailed as a maverick and given suitable coverage for her latest work.Though I've never been, watching this feels like you're going to have a pleasant, peaceful, summer vacation with your family and friends in southern France in the splendor of nature, comfy dwelling, great food and wine. What could possibly be missing or wrong, right? The French complex and complicated as they are, seemed not content with the ideal life and would simply want to crack things up because they're so bored with it. I take that back. In fact, the setting could happen anywhere and still be applicable and effective. Which makes this even more universally appealing to adults experiencing perhaps; midlife crisis?The story is really simple and almost no plot at all and it could have been really boring going back to the same scenes from a different perspective. But at two hours, I hardly noticed it at all. In fact, I wish it was longer. Breitman is a keen observer. She injects subtle slice of life sparsely spaced at right moments. It's like watching a painter at work with every restrained stroke of her brush as she finishes her masterpiece.The charming Charles Berling is perfect for the role of Hugo, a solitary new neighbor. He is also unabashedly, though masculine acting, gay. He announces this to the surprise of everyone when invited for dinner by good natured family man Frederic played by the equally adorable Bernard Campan. Both actors give exquisite performances as expected if you're familiar with them. If Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist met at this stage in their life, this would be an interesting development. Enough said, all the casts are good including the black cat in the background in a scene.If ever there was a runner up or successor to Brokeback Mountain, this would certainly be it in terms of narrative and milieu. Though the musical score is very good, it doesn't have the dramatic haunting reminiscence of Gustavo Santaolalla's and as such carries a slight advantage over this one. One noteworthy comparison is that they are both written by women. Is it perhaps those female writers/directors are more adept at handling gay themed love stories than actual gay writers/directors because women are more in touch with their emotions and knows what tenderness is? Or maybe they are writing it from their perspective originally intended for the lesbian audiences? Whatever the intention, they're truly good at it compared to many forgettable gay themed films with more emphasis on lust, agendas and dramatics.I wished this film would have had the same coverage as it truly deserves. I imagine it a big hit in Japan if it is or was released. One important thing this viewer learned is that it didn't go unnoticed and would even like to keep it a secret and maybe it should stay that way as if cherishing a gem of art shielding it from the general population. The Man of My Life effortlessly became one of his most favorite films of all time.Oh another skill that Zabou Brietman may or may not know have; poet.