FILM | Reviews
BIOPIC YVES SAINT LAURENT (15) 106min ●●●●●
The impeccably styled but tragic life of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent always had ‘screen adaptation’ written all over it. On the surface, there are his glamorous, emancipating designs, which helped him build a powerful empire and ongoing legacy. And beneath the gloss and poise of ‘le smoking’, the sad reality of his decades-long struggle with addiction and depression. This recent biopic from director Jalil Lespert sews together
both sides of the man. We meet him in 1957, as an impressive new talent in the couture world, and watch him fast-track up the fashion ranks. Later we see the mounting levels of fame and work responsibilities take their toll. Relatively unknown actor Pierre Niney keeps his version
of YSL fey and dandy. Any squalor or tawdriness obviously weren’t welcome in Lespert’s immaculately styled version of reality, which seems to reflect YSL’s approach to life. And the film displays a groomed, tanned and manicured version of his exotic second home in Morocco, chic Parisian apartment, plus beautiful friends Karl Lagerfeld, and muses Betty Catroux and Loulou de la Falaise (played by Nikolai Kinski, Marie de Villepin and Laura Smet respectively). (Claire Sawers) ■ Limited release from Fri 21 Mar.
DRAMA THE DOUBLE (15) 93min ●●●●●
Rising to fame through The IT Crowd, Richard Ayoade made an accomplished directorial debut with coming-of-age saga Submarine. Taking on Dostoyevsky for his next project suggests a welcome ambition, but despite a good central performance (or two), The Double doesn’t quite live up to its intriguing premise. Jesse Eisenberg plays Simon James, a mild-mannered
programmer somewhat put upon by friends and colleagues; his boss (Wallace Shawn) can barely remember who he is, and even co-worker Hannah (Mia Wasikowska) describes his furtive manner as creepy. Simon’s world gradually gets dismantled with the arrival of James Simon (also Eisenberg), who looks identical but has a far more forward and developed manner.
Plenty of thought has gone into the dystopian world Simon inhabits, but the retro stylings are airless and jar with the reality of Simon’s plight. That said, Eisenberg manages the differentiation of the two characters well, and when the inevitable interchanging starts, he keeps his performance subtle enough to keep audiences guessing. The Double is a clever film, but not a particularly empathetic experience and is far too stuffed with retro props, expressionist lighting and Japanese pop music to make Simon’s story resonate. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Limited release from Fri 4 Apr.
DRAMA THE PAST (12A) 130min ●●●●●
With this quietly gripping domestic drama, Asghar Farhadi once again demonstrates his ability to turn keen human insight into powerfully compelling cinema. As with his previous film A Separation, the Iranian writer / director uses the dissolution of a relationship as his starting point, beginning with Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) arriving in France from Iran to finalise his divorce from Marie (Bérénice Bejo).
Although they are parting on good terms – he’s staying at her house to have an
opportunity to spend time with the children – the presence of Marie’s new fiancé Samir (Tahar Rahim) causes friction. And this only increases when her oldest daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet) begins to voice concerns about this new relationship. Farhadi gradually reveals the various sides of these characters’ stories and, as the
somewhat overbearing title implies, their histories. None of the characters are particularly easy to read, and the more we discover about what they have done, the more complex they become. Throughout the film, characters construct stories in an attempt to explain the meaning of others’ actions, but fail ever to reach a place of real understanding. It’s like encountering real people, and the effect is to make us consider afresh the famous assertion from Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game that ‘everybody has their reasons’. The film is far from ponderous, though. From Ahmad and Marie’s first meeting onwards,
scenes drip with a tension that builds as we get a clearer picture of all the story’s elements. The question that this entire film spins on is whether someone can ever cut themselves off from the past. As an answer to that question, the image that Farhadi concludes with is truly unforgettable. (Paul Gallagher) ■ Limited release from Fri 28 Mar.
ROMANCE THE LUNCHBOX (PG) 104min ●●●●●
This warm and funny Indian film takes a set- up worthy of the great romantic comedies of Hollywood’s golden era and develops it into a touching story of connection.
In bustling Mumbai, young mother Ila (Nimrat Kaur) senses her husband’s attentions slipping away, so she prepares a multi-layered lunchbox to be delivered to his office. But the couriers mistakenly deliver it to the desk of Sajaan (Irrfan Khan), a grumpy accountant on the cusp of early retirement. When Ila discovers the mistake she decides not to report it,
but rather to communicate with the clearly grateful recipient, and so a correspondence begins. Debut director Ritesh Batra establishes his story and characters with beautiful economy, inviting our
curiosity about the stern, closed Sajaan while drawing us into the contrast of Ila’s warm kitchen and cold marriage. Khan, one of India’s most internationally recognised actors, plays Sajaan with subtlety and deadpan humour while Kaur, a relative newcomer, demonstrates irresistible screen presence. It all adds up to a delightful film experience, but one that should come with a warning about its many scenes of delicious food preparation. Watch on an empty stomach at your own risk. (Paul Gallagher) ■ Limited release from Fri 11 Apr.
60 THE LIST 20 Mar–17 Apr 2014