A tinge of nostalgia always passes through my mind now when I watch films taking place in institutions of higher learning. The chill in the air as I sip a coffee on the Quad and read Proust or Dostoevsky, people watching fellow students making their way toward class. What I never saw was a philosophy professor chewing out their honors student for all to see. However, that is the centerpiece of Luca Guadagnino’s latest. And this was in the trailer and is not really a spoiler. After The Hunt is the type of film that reeks of smug self-congratulatory curtain bows; the look at me, I know how to be topical. Only problem is the analysis is surface deep at best. This is not the fault of the filmmaker or his game cast.
Julia Roberts knows how to elevate subpar material with the ease of a skilled marksman. Zingers that would be limp noodles in lesser hands become javelins. The aforementioned scene with the unforgiving line “Not everything is supposed make you feel comfortable,” is a standout. The line delivery and Ayo Edebiri’s facial acting betraying every shift of emotion until the explosive conclusion. Too bad it is wasted in a mediocre screenplay.
Upon watching this, one thought came through my mind: is this a first-time screenwriter? After a quick IMDb search, my suspicions were confirmed. Most sequences drag on too long with tired dialogue, the kind that would have been punched up in rewrites. The second-place set-piece comes near the end when Julia Roberts’s character is in the hospital and confessing a past indiscretion and her husband comforting her. Michael Stuhlbarg has shone he can do these in his sleep (Think: Call Me By Your Name). However, the words he says feel less profound and more like pop psychoanalysis.
I haven’t gone into the plot, lest you want to check it out on Prime Video. Professor accused of assaulting a student, evidenced by the trailer. Andrew Garfield gave a rote performance here. Some talk about plagiarism and another about an illness, neither is fully explored. Chloe Sevigny is nothing more than a prop for the later. If I was this writer’s professor, I would have put red marks all over the page and told them; fine attempt, but you can do better.
Any student of film studies has checked out the 1960 French film Breathless, a classic among first year prerequisites. It is truly a treat to get a second movie from filmmaker Richard Linklater about its making. Now streaming on Netflix, Nouvelle Vague follows director Jean-Luc Godard from the screening of Truffaut’s The 400 Blows to the premiere of his first feature.
Kudos go to the casting director; finding each performer that, not only have uncanny resemblances to real people, but also their innate cool and mystique. Zoey Deutch and Aubry Dullin breath Seberg and Belmondo more than just embody them, all bright mischief and giddy chemistry. Guillaume Marbeck as Godard hiding behind Ray Bans and a stoic expression, only slightly revealing the Enfant Terriblé the real director must have been.
“Scriptless” should have been the real title. Jean-Luc’s producer and production team comically baffled at every turn. The use of grainy black and white and jump cuts make for a perfect complement to the original charm. Title cards and direct address to the screen help the uninitiated know the players and history better. However, this may not be of interest to those not familiar with the time period or film. If you are, I would suggest you check it out.
Consider it your Intro to French Film; class dismissed.
