jadavix
"Les Salauds" is one of those slow moving thrillers where it is up to us to piece together exactly what's happening and, more importantly, what has happened to the characters to put them in the situation they are in. We see a fair bit that's troubling, and it's not hard to put together a naked woman, bleeding from the crotch, wandering down a Paris street at night-time, and the later image of a bloody corn cob. Some of the other stuff is more opaque, notably, who each person is and why they are interacting. This is also more important to the story."Les Salauds" tells a tragic story of incest and sexual slavery that is robbed of some of its power by the telling. When the final revelation comes, it's not that shocking, maybe because the aforementioned sights were already so disturbing, or because we are kept in the dark about who the characters are, seemingly to set the stage for one such revelation.There are much, much worse movies in the vein of "don't show, don't tell" - see "The Headless Woman" for an example - but "Les Salauds" is nonetheless unsatisfying in its conclusion. I felt like we didn't get enough from the characters to be surprised about them, as the movie wants us to be.
Raven-1969
An alienated man returns to Paris in heavy rainfall in an attempt to mend family affairs in the wake of a suicide and substantial monetary damage. He discovers that human hearts, including his own, are not as repairable as he would prefer. Director Claire Denis displays a mastery of imagery, detail, tension and emotion in a dark story that goes back and forth in time and patiently reveals secrets. The introverted characters of her story attempt to react with confidence and courage to the bleak circumstances, malevolent figures, and fears that hem them in, yet their trust and hope hang on a thread. The film is enthralling, dark and brooding.
stemal-1
A slow paced film, a simple plot and an unsatisfying ending for what is ultimately a 'seen it all before' revenge story. The ingredients for a film tailor made for me to hate.But somehow it worked. Yes, there's not much to it, more atmosphere than story, but it gripped me throughout.An indication of how much I'm enjoying a film is the first time I check how long is left. I didn't do that at all during Les Salauds.It's terribly dark and downbeat, and don't imagine things will turn out how you might expect or want them to. But if you're OK with that, and have some patience, this is worth seeking out.
dipesh parmar
A man lies dead, a young woman walks the streets at night, dazed and naked. The opening scene of Claire Denis' new film 'Bastards' shows fragments of something terrible thats taken place, but we don't know what. The young womans name is Justine (Lola Créton), her mother Sandra (Julie Bataille) learns of her tragedy and the dead man who is her husband and Justine's father.Sandra seems to have given up hope, or simply doesn't care. Its not until Sandra's brother Marco (Vincent Lindon) is called to return from his job as a captain of a ship, that things start to unravel. Marco seems to be the only one compelled to find out what happened to Justine and her father, who was Marco's best friend. Sandra is of little help, Marco doesn't quite trust her, and maybe never had. She tells him who she thinks is responsible, Marco drops everything to piece back together a disturbing picture of family life.'Bastards' is a moody, slow-burning noir with a surprising series of events that will leave a mark on you. Marco's affair with Raphaelle (Chiara Mastroianni) provides the film with its emotional heart. But everyone is numb and lonely, seemingly unable to express themselves, or simply afraid to. 'Bastards' uses a strange emotional state, darkness pervades in everyone who are all closely shot but you still can't get close to them. Somethings holding them all back, and the protagonists of the crimes do not need to lift a finger.'Bastards' isn't a bleak film, there's still enough tenderness and thoughtfulness in the characters to imbue the film with a humane presence. It still keeps you at a distance, the ending is a shocking conclusion to a fine film, perfectly pivoted by a wonderful song from the Tindersticks. You may not like the ending, but i think this was the point from Denis, in what is her finest film yet.
AD
