Buried in Prayer is Worse Than Being Buried Alive
June 21st – June 27th
Bluebeard — I really like this movie a lot, so much so that I ended up watching it twice. Based on the Charles Perrault story, the movie recounts the original folktale as a pair of more modern sisters rediscover it while playing in the attic. Sisterly rivalry, a common theme in Catherine Breillat’s films, is certainly present all over this one. Certainly, this film is less sexually explicit than some of her other films which ought to make it more accessible.
This was a folktale “period piece” done on the cheap. But very effective. Because of that, it seemed like something Herzog might have done. The story was compelling enough to make costume and location seem adequately authentic. And Breillat captures the story with very painterly compositions. The eclipse scene is especially striking. At first, it just seems too artsy and conscious. But as we pull back and figure out what is going on, its effectiveness is apparent.
Lola Creton, Dominique Thomas, Credit: Strand Releasing
This is an art film. So it’s not all that accessible. Thank god. It means there can be nuance and complexity. Lots of swirling grays on Breillat’s canvas. I love that about this movie. It’s feminist in an unexpected way. Marie-Catherine (Lola Créton, wonderful) is no saint. She is most certainly flawed. She’s a gold-digger, for starters. But Bluebeard (Dominique Thomas) is a godlike figure with quasi-religious power over her. He may value honesty and trust. “If you tell me the truth, you’ll never anger me.” But no mortals can obey the rules of his game. It’s a rigged game he sets up. So of course she must disobey him. For that, she pays with her life.
Of course, this movie makes me not only want to see more of Breillat’s films but also to explore more un-Disneyfied folktales from Perrault and others.
The Maid — Another really good one. This one a Chilean film from Sebastian Silva. It features a remarkable lead performance by Catalina Saavedra as Raquel. The movie itself tackles what is meant by family and the power of inertia.
Family isn’t simply blood relatives. Family are those who you care about and who care about you. New friends, fleeting friends, even a pet are sometimes more genuinely family than blood relatives.
Personal inertia seems to be popping up in more and more films these days. Or else I’m just aware of it more. Certainly my mental well-being is dependent on overcoming inertia. For Raquel, inertia is literally killing her. Her life is a repetitive cycle of house-cleaning and caring for kids who are not her own. Not until she is nudged out of her numbing stasis by a rival maid does she overcome her inertia. At that point, happiness becomes a possibility once again.
