Nos années folles - dir André Téchiné - **

Nos années folles - film 2017

dir André Téchiné, between 1.5 to 2**

I was dragged into the cinema yesterday, and just sat down when the first line of the screen came up, saying that this is a true story etc.  I had not known which film that I was seeing.

Then, turned out that its a period piece, set in post war, and warring period in France.  War time, women sewing, embroidery for the rich, fancy dresses in this superb atelier - this style of atelier construction is still common in Paris in certain neighbourhoods.  With a very nice green court yard, where the women ate picnic lunches, drinks tea, coffee, a small glass 1/4 filled glasses at time.  The ambiance of the atelier is very friendly, no jealousy, cat scheming complications.  

The story:

We see two young people passionately in love, all naked, breast, butts, implied  moving penis on top of the woman.  As much flesh as possible.  This passionate love making is repeated several times during the film to show that they are truly in love.

Then the man who is soldier, deserted the army escaped from hospital - he lost a section of his index finger and used this as a reason to refused to go on the front line, dragging it out.

He hid in his mother in laws basement - one with a beautiful light well where he could actually see passerbys!

Dangerous times, people from the army came to look for him - they looked under the bed, searched a bit here and there.  But with such severity, they did not search in the basement where he hid.  Full fledged installed basement.  So he made up as a woman after his wife suggested the idea - so his transformation from man to woman was a measure of expediency to go outside.  He found bois de boulogne and became a special sex worker - and made lots of money.  etc.  and met counts, different men.

The male actor has a similar face to the very successful film on "Danish man changed sex into a woman" (will check the exact name of this film).  But his acting is rough.  No feminity at all.  But he wasnt supposed to, he was only dressed as a woman using this as a cover and making easy money and enjoying physical sex.

The female actor, has big lovely eyes, and beautiiful elegant body - however, she is always a bit wooden and sad.  

I did not feel any firework, love from all these maxed out sex scenes.  Not from the woman not from the man.  The count who seduced her, is also not quite adequate.  He looked like a well fed school boy uttering his lines.  No mean/decadent/kind/perversion/silly or any personal traits, no "count" presence.

Anyway, so the story goes that when his cover (being deserter ) is no longer needed, he trid to go back to his normal life.  But could not play the Q and A part of the theatre roles that he played (telling his life story as travestie) at the cabaret show.  So no more job.  The public wanted to know, how why how you feel, who you are.  He was drained.  But even at this critical turning point, no convincing acting from the actor - is that the directors responsibility or the actors?

More scenes, fighting, slapping wife because his manhood is no longer so convincing even to himself.  He also lost his touch in playing seductive woman, the only life he knew outside of being soldier - so he tried to harm his own baby and locked his wife inside the house.  And the wife shot him.  

End of story.

This movie is a bit like a comic book, but without the advantages of a comic book. They tell you the main story lines, and the viewer must fill in the rest themselves.  However a comic book is not the same as a movie.  In a comic book, the reader could take time, go over the drawings, think about the dialogue at their own pace, go back etc.  Here, its a story line that has been sketched out roughly, pushed through a time line, and the audience captures whats given on screen, roughly.  And then, its over.  

Then, from the credits, I realised this is a film by Andre Techine!  

Why was this movie made? 

My guess is, maybe wrong...

Well if somebody wants to make a film as a business venture, a film will be made with whatever conditions you have at hand.