No happy endings
hey!! movie review again... I was going to write about 2, but the truth is, I don't really know what to say about one of them. It is beautiful, as it shows us a child being a child when he can no longer be one. It portrays what happens when a child has another child to take care of. And it makes you suffer for him and for the mother of the poor baby, who has to deal with her boyfriend being not immoral, but completely amoral, and not knowing what he is doing. It is heartbreaking (and a tiny bit annoying, since there is absolutely no soundtrack, and you are left with the guy and his absurd attitudes without anything to 'break your fall', or to distract you from him). The movie is "L'enfant", by the way. A co-production between France and Belgium (theeeeeere you go..... !!!)So now, movie number 2, my favourite in a loong while. Now a totally french production, "5x2".
It is the story of a couple, from beginning to end. Or better yet, from end to beginning. The title refers to the 5 moments in their lives: the beginning of the relationship, the wedding, the birth of their first child, a party at their home and their divorce. There is nothing special about the story in itself, I know. But there are 2 things that change that: the acting - which is just amazing, but i'll skip that-, and the way it is told. Did you see "Memento"? Same prupose, but a lot less confusion.
So, the beginning of their story for us is their divorce. And seeing a couple fall in love and get married remembering how painful their ending was, how much sorrow there is left and how the dream of the relationship just disappeared.... it is just... well, I hate saying "heartbreaking" again, but sometimes, that is all there is. The movie gives us a shot of the future, and then starts explaining the past, showing that relationships are... well, they just are. The moments are supposed to be the most important ones in their story because they would mostly be beautiful bonding moments that show us happy moments. But in fact, the moments are also the ones that lead to their de-construction.
But the movie is just painful, for lack of a better word. The divorce scene is cruel and cold, and their beginning is spontaneous. You leave the cinema with a bittersweet sadness, because the last thing you saw was a beautiful beginning, but all you remember is their horrible ending, where not only all that they built for years is gone, but the people are just shadows of what they were. It is such a sad movie, although it has a "happy beginning", as I read in one review.
Can our history outshine our horrible ending? For me, leaving the cinema, no, it couldn't. Googling for this last picture, the only image I have in my mind of the movie is her closing the door and leaving him. So, 5x2. Sad, sweet, beautiful, complex and amazing. Or in other words: just what relationships are.
pics: http://www.edmontonfilmfest.com/films/film_images/l
http://www.splicedonline.com/05reviews/5x2.jpg
http://www.metrocinema.org/images/programme/octnov05/5x2.jpg
posted by Julia Moreira Leite @ 10:43 PM
2 Comments:
i'm sorry dear, but i have to comment on this: l'enfant is a belgian movie! we might not be able to participate in the world cup, it's raining over here although it's supposed to be summer right now, we're a tiny ridiculous country which managed to be divided in three languague groupes despite the fact that our country is only a few square meters big, but this movie is ours, so give us that at least :)
xx lotte
i knoooow!!! it's a co-production actually, but I was too lazy to write it.... sorry dear, you are right.
xxxx
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