In the final episode of the highly acclaimed ‘Six Moral Tales’ series, viz. Chloe in the Afternoon, French maestro Eric Rohmer tackled a moral dilemma that most people would easily connect with – that of marital fidelity. As a particular reviewer has aptly observed, while most films concentrate on portraying the consequences and after-effects of infidelity, this dealt with the temptations that lead to one and the consequent internal wavering and guilty conscience that accompany it. Frederic (Bernard Verley) is a successful businessman and, despite his love for ogling at women, also a doting husband. However his life is also in a state of ennui and a sort of status quo, which get shattered when a female he knew long back suddenly surfaces into his perfectly poised life. When Chloe (Zouzou) arrives without any notice to his office, he doesn’t seem too happy initially – he’s even brusque to her at times. However, in a clever plot progression, we find him not just ending up surreptitiously meeting the brash, impulsive and unpredictable Chloe (a complete antithesis to his nature) despite his initial misgivings, he even finds himself increasingly responding to her overt acts of seduction despite pangs of guilty feeling. The subtle manner in which the resolution to his moral dilemma occurs formed the highlight of the film for me. Interestingly, characters belonging to the other Six Moral Tales films, like My Night at Maud’s, Claire’s Knee, etc., appear during a long monologue sequence which was, for me, the weakest aspect of this otherwise quietly thought-provoking drama.
Director: Eric Rohmer
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Romance
Language: French
Country: France
The Iron Lady has achieved the rare distinction of being made while the person on whom this biopic has been made, viz. Margaret Thatcher, is still alive. The other recognition that this movie can safely aspire to is the critics reveling on Meryl Streep’s fine turn as the eponymous ‘Iron Lady’. These apart, there is hardly much to speak on this rather insipid, asinine and one-dimensional character study. One cannot tell the story of a powerful and controversial former political figure like Thatcher without taking a stance. Perhaps the director wanted to separate Thatcher the person from Thatcher the former British PM, in order to portray her stripped off the ensuing sociopolitical angles, but that, I felt, was a poor artistic choice on the director’s front. She is presented here as an aged lady suffering from acute dementia and reminiscing about her life through the fast deteriorating mind of hers – consequently most of the action takes place in the present interspersed with occasional flashbacks. But, this desire of playing it safe by not bringing in much sociopolitical contextualization or commentary into the storyline turned this into a morose account of a dementia-stricken old lady than what it ought to have been. Further, whenever the narrative became anywhere near interesting, as in the chronicling of Thatcher’s political maneuverings or the hugely controversial Falklands War, the director cut them short and reverted to the present – a peculiar decision that made the film even more meaningless and tiresome to watch.
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Genre: Drama/Political Drama/Biopic
Language: English
Country: UK
Pauline at the Beach, the third chapter in Rohmer’s much loved ‘Comedies et Proverbes’ series, is a beautifully executed romantic comedy and coming-of-age story. Its seemingly simple structure, gentle touch and light-hearted feel belie its profundity, and subtle yet exquisite observations. Pauline (played quite brilliantly with great restraint and maturity beyond her young years by Amanda Langlet), a lovely and soft-spoken teenage girl, is on vacation at Normandy with her strikingly pretty elder cousin sister Marion (Arielle Dombasle). While strolling on the beach they meet various people, and matters related to the heart that inevitably spring up, affecting both of them quite strongly, form the crux of the storyline. But plot took a backseat as Rohmer went about presenting to us the interesting dynamics that develop between the characters and how they evolve in the process. One’s initial assumption would be that Marion, being the elder of the two ladies, is the more matured as well – but as the movie proceeds one would realize that Pauline is the more level-headed of the two and with greater character depth. And during the closing moments of this gently affecting dramedy one would realize that, despite both of them experiencing heartbreaks during their short vacation, it is Pauline who comes out of the experience as a wiser and a much more matured person who is far more in terms with her own self, while Marion continues to remain the naïve idealist and romantic that she always was. The most memorable aspect about the film was that, despite the various complexities and disentanglements that ensue over its course, everything seemed so natural, real and unforced.
Director: Eric Rohmer
Genre: Drama/Comedy/Romance/Coming-of-Age
Language: French
Country: France
If one isn’t made aware of the fact that the movie is ‘based on real events’, one would easily end up thinking this is a completely fictitious and fabricated tale – such was the strange and tragic life that the film’s eponymous anti-hero Paan Singh Tomar led. Paan Singh, played quite incredibly by Irrfan Khan, one of the finest Indian actors of today, was a seven-time national champion in steeplechase during his stint with the Indian Army, and represented India too internationally. However, despite his desire to settle down in his farm post his voluntary retirement from services, circumstances ended up converting this decent-natured former athlete into a dangerous outlaw and dacoit. Based on a well-written script that has been peppered with equal doses of realism, anger and humour, the film has managed to bring to life the bizarre journey of the protagonist, while also depicting the kind of petty politics and corruption that has become an integral part of life in India – more so in the rural areas. The movie’s best moments, undoubtedly, come in the first half which has been dedicate to his life as an army-man who becomes an athlete more out of convenience than passion. The second half which chronicled his becoming an outlaw, however, couldn’t live up to the same level of engaging visceral thrills, though the outdoor shots of the badlands of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh were a treat for the eyes.
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Genre: Drama/Biopic
Language: Hindi
Country: India
No End might very well be regarded as the film that signaled the transitioning in Polish master Krzysztof Kieslowski’s filmmaking career. While it had considerable political content and commentary like most of his earlier films, it was also filled with the kind of spiritual turbulence and inner crisis that marked his more internationally renowned later ones – in the latter sense it formed a great precursor to his Blue. The sudden death of Antek, a young and upcoming attorney, leaves Urszula (Grazyna Szapolowska), his strikingly beautiful wife in a state of emotional devastation – though she’s initially in a state of denial, the realization slowly starts engulfing her. Meanwhile, a client of Antek faces long imprisonment for having been one of the leaders of the Gdansk strikes, and consequently Urszula, for humane rather than political reasons, decides to help the political dissident’s distraught wife by referring her to Antek’s aged mentor. Kieslowski did a terrific job at balancing the two parallel strands of the storyline, and the end product is a haunting, disturbing and a deeply affecting work that managed to transcend the barriers between the outside world and the protagonist’s inner self. Gorgeously photographed and beautifully scored, this wonderfully paced work in the domain of magic realism comprised of a series of excellent, naturalistic turns led by an unflinchingly brilliant performance by Grazyna (better known for A Short Film about Love), who completely opened herself both physically and emotionally in her portrayal.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Political Drama/Spiritual Drama
Language: Polish
Country: Poland
