Les Âmes fortes (2001)
Directed by Raoul Ruiz

Film Review

Despite an impressive cast and some excellent production values, this quality adaptation of the classic French novel by Jean Giono generally fails to engage the spectator and is amongst the least satisfactory of Raoul Ruiz's directorial efforts to date.  Visually impressive this film may be - with some beautiful photography of its Provençal setting and meticulous attention to period detail - but shallow characterisation and uneven narrative pacing make watching it a painfully empty experience.  Some clumsy directorial gimmicks, such as an attempt to create a sense of intrigue and mystery, merely get in the way of the plot, further weakening the impact of Giono's superlative novel.

The film was originally to have been directed by its scriptwriter, Alexandre Astruc.  Raoul Ruiz stepped into the breach to direct the film when Astruc died before the film went into production, and this could account for the film's noticeably lacklustre feel.  You get the impression that Ruiz is attempting to use a similar approach to the one he used previously on his adaptation of a Marcel Proust novel, Le Temps retrouvé (1999).  Unfortunately, all that Ruiz manages to show is that this abstract approach, where the ambiguities of human character are glimpsed through a distorting lens from a great distance, is not well suited for the historical film drama, or indeed any drama where characterisation is such an integral part of the narrative.

Film Synopsis

In 1945, a number of old women gather together at the sombre occasion of a wake and reflect on the life of someone in their midst.  The story begins more than half a century ago and involves a young woman from the country named Thérèse.  She was just twenty when she ran away with her boyfriend Firmin, the village blacksmith, and settled in the Provencal town of Châtillon.  It was here that Thérèse fell under the spell of an older woman, Madame Numance, who was well-regarded by her community for her charitable acts.

Noticing that Thérèse is expecting a child, her wealthy benefactor invites her to live in her grand house.  Firmin is unhappy with this arrangement but his indomitable partner gets her way and she is soon living a life of ease as Madame Numance's welcome houseguest.  Thérèse takes advantage of the situation, exploiting her host's kindness to the full.  Some years later, Firmin meets a tragic end when he falls down a ravine.  Rumours soon begin to circulate that his wife may have a hand in his death...