writers_reign This is arguably by far the most accessible film yet made by Claire Denis, indeed it's tempting to think that she was persuaded by the money-men to go at least semi-mainstream at least once in order to fund further indulgences like her very next movie L'Intrus, an academics wet dream. Here she opts for two well-known actors in Vincent Lindon and Valerie Lamercier - whose own third film as writer-director Palais-Royal opens in Paris this month - and wisely leaves them to do what they do best and let her camera linger on them as they do so. Lamercier is rare among French actresses in that she is not a head-turner in the tradition of Manu Beart, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, etc but she does have a very definite subtle beauty and Denis brings this out in lingering shots of her face. Laure (Lemercier) has just given up her flat, filled the back of her car with portable possessions prior to moving in with her boyfriend yet inexplicably breaking her journey by attending a dinner party. Perhaps I should have said that On Paper those are her plans because having left her flat she finds herself caught up in one of those French transport strikes that punctuate the City of Light the way pauses punctuate a Pinter play. Traffic is virtually at a standstill and the radio is urging drivers to offer lifts to pedestrians so when Vincent Lindon raps on the window and solicits a ride she agrees. This is the point where the pseudo-intellectuals come into their own and 'read' all kinds of stuff into it; her life is at an impasse, she feels mentally or spiritually paralysed unable to move forward, you know the kind of thing, easy to do and about as meaningful as a stryofoam cup. Whatever, she and Lindon experience an unspoken attraction and nothing is surer than that they will wind up in the sack but then it is, technically, her Hen night and who's to say she isn't thinking twice about what, to some people, is a major step. So they have their mayfly moment and we share it with them and then it's over. Just like a movie. It's all about the experience, the heightened glow, the memories. This is memorable and one that can stand re-viewing.

bkossy The traffic jam sequence alone stands as an amazing and lyrical study of the rhythms of stop and start driving. The two lovers are so anchored in the magnetism of the present. This movie is a homage to human nature, and sexual attraction consummated. Also, I absolutely love that the film accepts and cherishes the moment as the lovers do. It's very French.

kd58543 I understand how a number of people would find this movie difficult to enjoy. There are parts where you are unsure if they are real or if its the lead female fantasizing. Not much appears to happen unless you think about what you are seeing.The cinematography of this film is beautiful. There is a clear color palette to the key shots. Also so much information is given from the actor's and reactions. There is very little dialogue. The camera is used as a character in the film. It shows us the claustrophobic state that the lead female is feeling because a major change in her life. She is changing from a young woman to a domestic woman. The other comment refers to the female's beauty. Films control so much of our identity of beauty that we've forgotten that ordinary people exist. Also that someone might find an ordinary person to be attractive.

arturobandini I'm stunned that there aren't better user reviews for this gorgeous, erotic film. Boring? Hardly. Ever see Hitchcock's "Rear Window" or Godard's "Weekend"? Great drama can exist in a traffic jam, behind sealed windows...if you're willing to watch others instead of diddling with your makeup or cel phone. Seriously, I wouldn't expect this movie to appeal to the "Joe Millionaire" crowd, but whatever happened to respect for the non-mainstream? For movies that refuse to follow formula? And why are so many amateur reviewers incapable of recognizing a diamond in the rough? The fact that so much in this movie is communicated without dialogue - the true test of cinema - puts in heads-and-tails above just about every American movie I've seen lately. Besides, this is one hot date movie!