Jay Raskin
Why is it in the twilight of cinema only the French can produce masterpieces? This is the first Catherine Breillat movie that I've seen. I'll be on the lookout for them from now on. This ranks with the masterpieces of the French cinema. It is Truffaut (youthful innocence), Godard(ballet of camera movement with independent activities in foreground and background and Blier (absurdity, realism and sex) all rolled together. This is the human spirit revealed. It is erotic, at least it is a study in erotic passion, but it is as far from pornography as film gets. Sarah Pratt's acting is superb. I hope she won a caesar for this.
writers_reign
I almost gave this one a miss having seen a couple of Breillat films that were virtually hardcore porn with mainstream actors - Francois Berleand, Amira Casar - and been underwhelmed. However, compared to things like Romance and Anatomy Of Hell, Breve Traversee is Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm. Okay, there is a sexual encounter and yes, it is fairly graphic but no more so than stuff we can on TV nowadays. Breillat takes a lot of time building up to the encounter, giving us time to get to know and perhaps like and/or empathise with one or both protagonist. It's fairly basic; a channel crossing, two people travelling alone, a chance meeting, then a second one, an evening spent together over a meal and a couple of drinks, mutual attraction growing subtly - not a word I thought I'd ever use in the same sentence as Breillat - stronger until the inevitable coupling in the cabin setting up an ending as poignant as that in its almost namesake Brief Encounter. In sum: the finest work I've seen from Breillat.
Sebastian-20
I've never seen a Catherine Breillat movie until this one was broadcasted. People tend to say that what she makes is pornographic, but it is so much more than that. Even during the sex-scene's there's a lot of talking going on. Sarah Pratt as Alice reminds me of Isabelle Huppert, a bit cold and distant, but she and Gilles Guillain did a great job in acting. Overall a very good movie shot on a low budget!
henkpolman
"Roastbeef. No chips". Something commonplace like this marks the beginning of a short relation between a woman and a young boy. A woman, who lost all her illusions about love and marriage. A young boy, attractive for the woman because he still is naive and innocent. It is especially the role played by Sarah Pratt that puts this film on a high level. Returning to the trivial roastbeef-and-chips-scène at the beginning of the film: the way Pratt argues with the waiter: "I don't want them!". That's great acting. With simple means and with only two persons that really make this film Catherine Breillat has done very good directors work. Placed in the chilly décor of a ferry boat two people attract each other and have something - something what? You can't really call it a love affair. What they do have together during the few hours of the boat trip looks tense, reliable and sometimes moving.
AD
