My knee-jerk reaction to hearing about a movie starring Asia Argento and Michael Madsen is, “This is going to be some seriously B-grade shit full of cheesy violence and groan-inducing talk.” Writer/director Olivier Assayas, however, is not a filmmaker that should be underestimated. Had I noticed the film was his, I may have suspended my doubt before watching. In that case I might not have enjoyed the movie as much.
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of this little film. It has a very sophisticated sensibility to it: stylish cinematography, dialogue that is both sparse and nuanced, and a kick-ass cameo by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. The pacing is deliberate, giving the audience plenty of time to feel that the characters are real people. The camera takes an objective stance that forces you to put off judging them until too late. The result is effective and refreshing.
Argento and Madsen are Sandra and Miles estranged lovers that once had a violently passionate relationship. Now they are tentatively reconnecting and neither is sure why. They feel one another out for sinister motives: Miles is rich but owes debts and Sandra has a new lover that may or may not be her ticket away from Miles forever.
There’s a grown-up Alice in Wonderland quality to Sandra’s predicament. Check it out if you want to see how deep the rabbit hole can go.
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