Film Review
French director Jacques Doillon is no stranger to controversy and in
La Pirate,
arguably his most provocative work, he assaults our sensibilities with this puzzling and
harrowing portrayal of searing naked emotion. The film revolves around five disparate
characters about whom we know nothing and with whom we are compelled to have little in
the way of sympathy. It is a daring work which boldly tests the limits of what is
acceptable in film drama. How much does an author have to reveal about his characters
for us to believe in their situation, to feel involved in the story we see unfolding before
our eyes? Doillon certainly doesn't go out of his way to make it easy for his audience.
The film starts with a jolt and then accelerates relentlessly towards its bleak dramatic
ending with little if anything in the way of exposition.
The impression is that you have joined the film somewhere near the end of the story, that
the greater part of the action has already taken place. What we are seeing is the denouement
of an epic human saga, the endgame to a torrid tale that we scarcely dare to speculate
on. For that reason, the film depends greatly on its spectator's willingness to
participate, to fill in the gaps and imagine the past experiences of the five characters
in the film. Without this involvement, the film really cannot function - everything
feels random, irrational, unrealistic, an odd self-indulgent game in histrionic excess.
That Doillon is perhaps placing too great a demand on his audience could explain the hostile
reaction the film aroused when it was first released, particularly at its premiere at
the Cannes Film Festival in 1984. Unless the spectator is prepared to work to make
sense of the film, it is a wasted effort, and the extraordinarily tortured performances
(notably from Jane Birkin and Maruschka Detmers) are cruelly negated.
© James Travers 2004
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Next Jacques Doillon film:
La Vie de famille (1985)
Film Synopsis
Alma, a young married woman, is taken by surprise when her former lesbian
lover, Carole, returns and reawakens her erstwhile feelings for her.
It is a maelstrom of conflicting emotions that suddenly engulfs the young
woman, who now finds herself torn between the husband, Andrew, who brutalises
her in spite of her devotion to him, and the passionate ex-lover who offers
her the most intense of romantic experiences. In the end, Alma cannot
resist the lure of Carole and accompanies her to a hotel, not knowing that
she is being trailed by a young girl (a friend of Carole) and a mysterious
stranger who passes himself off as a private detective. Through the
later, Andrew is able to trace his wife's movements and give her a piece of
his mind when he catches up with her. The frenzied tug-of-war love match
continues with these five individuals improbably reunited on a boat bound
for England from the port of Dunkirk. Alma now knows she has nowhere
else to run. She must choose between her husband and her lover...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.