Film Review
The conflict between love, faith and duty provides Jean-Pierre Denis
with the starting point for his most arresting film to date, a film
that is apparently based on a true story that took place during the
Second World War in the Périgord region of France. Denis
is not the most prolific of filmmakers - in the past three decades he
has made just six films. But he has won acclaim at home and
abroad for his distinctive brand of realist cinema, in such films as
Les Blessures assassines (2000) and
La Petite Chartreuse
(2005). With its authentic period setting and raging torrent of
emotional themes,
Ice-bas is
his most ambitious film so far and parallels with some of Maurice
Pialat's later films - notably
Sous le soleil de Satan (1987)
- are easily drawn.
Whilst the wartime setting provides a suitably dramatic backdrop to the
film, and also a pretty grim denouemenet to the story, Jean-Pierre
Denis does not dwell on the historical context and focuses more on the
universal story that lies at the heart of the drama - an amour fou that
turns horribly sour. Denis has been criticised for his minimalist
mise-en-scène, which can be misinterpreted as a reluctance to
engage fully with the subject matter of his films. Here, his
understated approach works perfectly and gives his superb lead actors -
Céline Sallette and Eric Caravaca - the opportunity to seize our
attention and play havoc with our emotional apparatus through
their arresting portrayals of two profoundly complex characters
struggling to reconcile their beliefs with their amorous
instincts. Denis directs the film almost as a piece of theatre,
allowing his actors to take control and drive the narrative, rather
than jumping in (as far too many filmmakers are prone to) and making
his auteur presence more strongly felt. Denis has much in common
with Pialat.
Whilst the film deals with familiar themes, its handling of the
different facets of love is refreshingly raw and nuanced, although much
of the complexity appears to lie beneath the surface and unless you pay
attention and engage fully with the drama you risk dismissing it as
superficial. Sister Luce's conflation of romantic love with religious
devotion mirrors Martial's dedication to the Resistance cause (by
serving man, he is serving God), but whereas the former is revealed to
be a dangerous and selfish delusion that can lead only to Hell, the
latter is shown to be the place where true goodness lies. The
sublime sensitivity of the performances jars a little with the
coarseness of the narrative trajectory - of course the story has to end
tragically, but in doing so it offers no chance of redemption for its
flawed protagonist. In adhering so faithfully to the story that
inspired the film, Jean-Pierre Denis sacrifices poetry for realism, but
his film is nonetheless an engaging and mature piece of cinema, a
haunting evocation of the destructive power of love that is rendered
utterly beguiling by Céline Sallette's outstanding central
performance.
© James Travers 2012
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Film Synopsis
In 1943, when France is under Nazi occupation, Sister Luce is a devout nun
who occupies herself tending to the sick at a hospital in Périgueux.
It is work that she enjoys and helps her feel that she is justified in her
vocation. But then one day she meets a young priest, Martial, who will
shake her certainties. His faith wavering, the priest has decided to
lend whatever support he can to the Resistance. As soon as they meet,
Luce finds herself deeply unsettled by the priest. He has awoken something
in her that she both dreads and yearns for - carnal desire. Under Martial's
influence, she immediately leaves her convent and embarks on a new life,
but it isn't long before she becomes disillusioned. Feeling betrayed
by the one she loves, Luce finds it impossible to resist the urge to take
her revenge. Not long afterwards, Resistance members working in the
postal service intercept an anonymous letter addressed to the German commandant...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.