Café Noir

sharunasbresson

27May10

I have to say that I have an allergy to quotations and post modern attitude (intertextual references, cinema for cinema’s sake and so on get on my nerves). So it’s strange to me to fall in love with a movie wich can be described as a Pastiche. The film is divided in two half with a structure reminescent of the first period Hong Sang Soo movies (and a brief excerpt of Conte de cinema makes its appearance in the first half, together with a lot of visual quotation). The first half is a strange modern adaptation of Le jeune Werther. after a beginning dangerously reminding me of the worst signs of Tonino Guerra lyrical excesses, the film takes a weird turn, becoming fresh, self deprecating, inventive, rough but never cynical. The first half reminded me of the best Hal Hartley achievement. Not a description of love but mostly of the way culture, literature and cinema has changed our way of perceive love, and represent ourselves. life as a mise en scene. (and by the way I didn’t spotted any quotations from my favourite cinematic Werther: the Ophuls one). The second half is a nearly literal representation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky White Nights. Not so much Visconti here, just a bit of Bresson, one wonderful wonderful black and white shot of the long tale told by the girl during the second night in the manner of Jean Eustache... and near the end a ballet scene not so far from the Godard’s Bande a part ballet in the bar... I know it may sound awful, but in the end i found myself cinemadrunk.