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A Brilliant Conflict

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Blistering performances.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

French screenwriter and director Christine Carreère's third feature film which she wrote after a work by French author Jean Teulé, is inspired by real events. It premiered in France, was shot on locations in France and is a French production which was produced by producer Édouard Weil. It tells the story about a French daughter and sister named Cathrine Niccole.Distinctly and subtly directed by French filmmaker Catherine Carrière, this finely paced and somewhat fictional tale which is narrated by and mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a quietly heartrending portrayal of a person and her experiences. While notable for its atmospheric milieu depiction, reverent cinematography by cinematographer Gordon Spooner, production design by production designer Antoine Platteau and costume design by costume designer Catherine Boisgontier, this character-driven and narrative-driven story, depicts a tangible study of character and contains a great and timely score by composer Dan Levy.This diversely humorous and dramatically serious drama from the late 2000s which is set in France in the 21st century, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, noteworthy acting performance by French actress Marina Foïs and the commendable acting performances by French actress Océane Décaudain and French actor Guillaume Canet. A lyrically surreal narrative feature.

The previous two reviewers insist on the quality of M. Fois portrayal, and regret that the movie Darling didn't get much attention and praise. I don't know about that, but I'm afraid the film is not as good as the performance. For me, it is due to inadequate narrative and a confusion of genres.First, it begins like a dark comedy, and uses this tone repeatedly later on. The events are gut-wrenching, however, and do not call for some cynical detachment. It effectively confuses the viewer's emotions. This is one of the reasons why one can hardly perceive Catherine/Darling as a real person.Second, the events and the motives themselves are unclear. The first scene enumerates the extent of physical damage suffered by Darling's body, the multiple concussions, new and ancient traumas, etc. Yet we never learn when and how the old injuries occurred. We see her as a kid kicked by her father, once, but not to the point of being damaged. Up to the pivotal beating scene, we never see her injured, not even visiting any doctor.Her passivity is equally puzzling. She was sanely rebellious towards her dreadful parents, so her acceptance of her husband's abuse is rather surreal. There isn't even a clear sign of physical abuse. This is only an example, as a lot of what she does, or doesn't do, feels out of place.That Darling is biographical comes as a real surprise in the closing credits. Darling the character says that people only care for beautiful stories about beautiful persons. True or not, Darling the movie isn't the correct answer: it's a grave story given an unfitting tone and an awkward retelling.

I have long admired Marina Fois and been impressed by her versatility ranging from the two-hander bittersweet comedy of Tell Me I'm Pretty to the hard-bitten soft-centred social worker in Polisse but in Darling she turns in a tour de force as a person who never had a chance from the day she was born; mocked as a child by both parents and schoolmates, unable to dodge the s**t that life keeps dropping on her from a great height, yet brushing it aside and moving on stoically, indeed, defining stoicism. This is a truly outstanding performance with Best Actress Cesar, Oscar, Bafta, Golden Globe, etc written all over it ... in your dreams, Ms Fois, because as your character puts it so succinctly, no one cares about people like this, no one is going to see it, no influential critic is about to review it, in short, no one gives a big rat's ass ... except, perhaps, the odd discerning viewer who places a high value on Class, on Style, on exceptional acting backed up by fine ensemble playing and excellent direction. If Ms Fois ever turns in a performance one tenth as fine as she does here I for one will be one happy bunny.

Simply ,"Darling " is one of the ten best movies of the French naughties.Made by a woman ,who perhaps remembered Ida Lupino or Barbara Loden and that only a woman can feel what a woman can endure .Set in Normandie ,based on a true story -which makes the movie even more powerful-,where many atrocious Guy De Maupassant's short stories happened ,"Darling " is the story of a girl tossed by the tides of misfortune.You will not believe your eyes when you see all the things she had to cope with in her unfortunate life .Her family has a history of mental/physical illness,which gives the story a Zolaesque touch .The father is a crude uneducated brute who bullies his daughter who forgot to say "happy birthday "The mother does not like THAT girl she treats like a dog.The poor thing finds comfort in the baker's shop where a good woman -perhaps the only positive person she has ever met in her whole life -takes care of her and gives her a fleeting feeling of a maternal love.The only way out for a girl like her could be marriage.She meets a handsome truck driver and on the very day of her wedding she understands -the father had warned her before ,as if a curse was on her from the beginning- that happiness is not for her :the wine on her wedding dress,looking like blood,and the wedding ring ,probably bought in the local dime store.The boy is flighty,he starts to drink hard and he brings his lovers home ,asking his wife to take part and enjoying humiliating her :we learn in one of the most desperate scenes ever filmed ,that the three children are watching the scene from the window:but the director does not show it ;horror you suggest is much more effective that when it is depicted in lavish details.Marina Foïs gives a harrowing performance with admirable restraint:we almost never see her cry and when she talks to her (female) lawyer -a woman who will never understand that she was born to sweet delight when some like her "client" are born to endless night- in a voice choked with emotion ,she asks her to write in her report that "she was a beautiful girl" .And that may be the key of the movie:its lack of success,the fact that three years after its release ,nobody has written a single line about it ,the heroine explains it to us:people don't want to hear about other people's s..... they want stories which happen to good -looking persons. When a movie does not spare the sordid details -my brother ,he looks like a table football player!-,when the pain is at its fiercest ,such things scare "normal" people who do nothing but pity those poor things born under a bad sign."Darling" who has reached the depths of despair ,never gives up.Everything she does backfires on her ,but until the very end,she never resigns herself.And however the terrifying story is about to continue through her children ;on the highway,trying one more time to reverse the situation ,to fight ill-fortune,she begins to teach her three little children the alphabet in a very unusual way.Her attitude may be interpreted as a rebellion against the educated world where she and her children will always be outcasts.Marina Foïs ,in a part many actresses would never even think of playing ,achieves the feat of being almost pretty at the end of the movie.She would have deserved a Cesar ,but people like "winning women" best.Guillaume Canet ,cast against type ,shows one more time he is one the best actors of his generation.All the supporting actors ,from the mum who bawls "Les Gars De La Marine" to the brother who takes his life after warning his parents to the young actress who plays the heroine when she was a plump little girl despised by all the schoolboys and girls of the village ,all are excellent .And I'm looking forward to seeing more movies of Christine Carrière.This is the kind of movie we need today more than ever..Like this? try these....."Rosetta" (Dardenne Bros,1999) "Wanda" (Barbara Loden,1970) "L'Enfance Nue" (Maurice Pialat,1968) "Poor Cow" (1967)"Ladybird ,ladybird"(1994) and "Kes"(1969) (Kenneth Loach) "Poil De Carotte" (Julien Duvivier)(1925 and 1932)