First, I thought the title might get you. Second, I think French is a really beautiful language. My saying that is probably influenced by hype, but, really, listening to native speakers, I feel that the way the words flow is just incredibly … like how art must feel (for lack of a better description). Third, I’ll watch anything masquerading as a musical these days.
At the risk of exposing my utter lack of sophistication, I’m featuring a film I got wind of by searching RottenTomatoes. It got a 100% fresh rating, at least at the time I discovered it, from top critics and it was supposed to be one of the best musicals of late. The last I watched was Once and I loved it, so I’m giving Love Songs (Les Chansons d’Amour) a chance.
This is not a film recommendation because it’s certainly not for everyone. Everything’s in French, even the songs, with English subtitles that flash song lines like "“Keep your saliva as an antidote." Kind of like metaphors lost in translation. The melodies are charming, though; the cast are pretty; and Paris remains to be only a fixture of my dreams.
Threesome: Ismael (Louis Garrell) and Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) opened their door to Alice (Clotilde Hesme), literally
If I know a thing about filmmaking, I’d say this is a finely done movie just by the way the camera moves into and away from the subjects. Hypocrisy aside, had this been local, I’d have a hard time believing it. The trailer claims, "Only in Paris…," and that made it so foreign for me to scrutinize objectively. Now, to be very brief, two young Parisian lovers invited another girl to share their bed, which caused frequent fits of jealousy from the original players; one of the girls unexpectedly dropped dead; the remaining girl found herself another man; and the grieving boyfriend found himself another boy.
How’s that for a musical? True to the title, the characters, once in every while, erupt into songs. They sing to and for each other; they sing to the walls; they sing to the streets. The emotions are very well conveyed in every scene, and I think Louis Garrel’s dreamy qualities and fine performance lend big weight to the movie.
I liked it better than Brokeback Mountain.
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