writers_reign Let's be clear from the start; the Academic-Pseud axis will be creaming in their pants once this hits their local art house because for every last one of them out there they can find a different 'meaning' and 'teach' and 'discuss' it for years which is of course what every one of them worth their 'trope' and/or 'spatial relationship' will do. Okay, it's a free country and if we'd all be better off if these people took up employment on sewage farms and spent their days shovelling real effluent instead of the paper kind live and let live right. Personally all I cared about was watching two of the finest actors on the planet, not just in France but in the world doing their thing which, over a lifetime they have honed to within an inch of its life. It's not really necessary to put these two in Death Valley, you can put them on Main Street, Moose Droppings, Iowa and get them to read an ad for hemorrhoid cream and they'd still turn in Oscar-winning performances.

MartinHafer I love French films and have seen, perhaps, a couple thousand...which is definitely a lot for an American. So, I jumped at the chance to review "Valley of Love". After all, two actors who I have loved in many French movies star in this production, Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu and I was excited to see them again. Plus, sadly, too often actors in their golden years disappear from films...so it was wonderful to see folks in their 60s starring in a film. And, I must say, the film did not over-glamorize them...particularly Depardieu. He's definitely put on weight over the years and appears in boxer shorts during much of the film...a great way to say 'to hell with the world's obsession over weight, beauty and age'! Unfortunately, while I applaud the film for using these folks and de-glamorizing them, the script itself left me very, very cold.The film is set in Death Valley, California in November. The folks continually complain how oppressively hot it is there, but this is only during the awful summer months when temperatures soar well over 49 Celsius (120 Fahrenheit). Despite what the film says, Novembers are lovely there with average temperatures 25C/77F...and very never a day approaching 38/120. So, ignore this mistake in the film...this huge national park is not all that inhospitable in the Fall.Isabelle is staying at some resort...waiting. You aren't sure why but soon see that she'd joined by her -ex, Gérard. Slowly do you learn the very strange reason they are there. Apparently, six months earlier, their son killed himself...leaving a very strange letter for each of them. In the letter he promises that if they follow his itinerary exactly in November, he will briefly re-appear to them! This is very strange to say the least and it's pretty obvious that Gérard holds little stock in all this...though he did inexplicably agree to join Isabelle. Through much of their time together, the two are a miserable pair--rarely agreeing on anything and they are a rather crabby couple. It seems pretty obvious why they are no longer together and that they were lousy parents to their son.What follows is an odd and somewhat surreal film...and one that leaves the viewer very confused as to what really has occurred. The ending is incredibly vague and the entire film left me dissatisfied. I didn't mind the vague ending as much as I just felt like the film wasted some terrific talent and could have done so much more with the characters. Not a terrible film...but one that I really wanted to love and recommend but simply can't.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) Do not be confused by the title of writer and director Guillaume Nicloux' "Valley of Love". This is a French movie, so you may need subtitles unless you speak the language. It runs for slightly over 90 minutes and stars Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu in pretty much every scene from start to finish. These two have been among France's finest for a really long time and in this film here they show us that this is exactly where they still belong in 2016, both in their 60s now playing a divorced couple. They meet again as their deceased son wants them to briefly after committing suicide. Or did he really?This is one of the core questions of the film, but it's all really just about the character study of the two protagonists. It's 95% drama for sure with this sad background of their meeting, but Dépardieu's talent makes up for occasional comic relief. You can think about him what you want looking at all the escapades and comments that were reported in the media, but the only thing that counts is what an outstanding actor he still is. He also has good chemistry with Huppert here and it was somewhat funny to watch them together in terms of proportions.The most crucial recurring theme in the film was definitely death, not only because the entire thing takes place near/in Death Valley, but also with the story of their son, the cancer reference, the death of a marriage, very telling dream sequences and a lot more. To be honest, I was truly surprised that Dépardieu's character made it out of this film alive. I expected him to die any minute towards the end, but I guess his heart was still most intact in contrast to his bladder. "Valley of Love" is a pretty slow movie and not a lot is happening really which many voters may find unappealing, but I did not. What I did not like, however, was the reference to this strange rash, which became really important as it was also used dominantly in the final shot. This did not do too much for me sadly, which hurt the overall perception a bit. I cannot say this film had any really great moments, but it was pretty convincing thank to the one good and one great lead performance. I recommend it. If you like the actors, you will certainly not be let down.

richard-1787 This is a very simple - in some ways - and sad movie. A long-divorced couple learn of the suicide of their son, with whom they have been out of contact for years. He sends them each a letter, asking them to spend a week together at different sites in Death Valley (yes, in the U.S.), with the promise that he will appear to one of them.They meet. They encounter a few dull Americans. They spend a lot of time out in the desert. Lots of old dirty laundry gets aired. The end makes no sense.When I was walking out of the theater in the small Breton town where I saw this movie - fewer that 10 people had showed up to see it -the usher told me that it was based on the story of the death of Gérard Depardieu's son, Guillaume, and that Guillaume had been his son by Isabelle Hupert. Not true. Guillaume was Depardieu's son by his first wife, Elisabeth, and he did not commit suicide. Nor, as far as I know, was he gay. So much for instant legend.What was good, indeed very good about this movie was the acting by the two principals. They are both first-rate actors, and they do wonders with what is often not first-rate dialogue.For what it's worth, it's also interesting to see them as they are now, with NO makeup or attempt to hide what time has done to two formerly very handsome/beautiful individuals. Depardieu has become downright enormous, and not in a good way. He looks downright pitiful in shorts.There is also some beautiful landscape shots of Death Valley.Not a movie I would see twice, at least in the theater. But not a movie to overlook, either.