Sunday, September 02, 2007
Nathalie
I had to really cool off (a lot) my head, heart and body to be able to write something about this amazing story and movie.
This 2003 Anne Fontaine film tells the story of a woman that finds that her husband is cheating, but he claims that those affairs are not important. She decides to hire a prostitute to find if he’s telling the truth about his non-important affairs. From that moment on the story develops in the most interesting way.
Have to say that this is one of the few French movies where I guessed what comes next, but that only made it more interesting and mind-blowing as I ended up seeing the movie with totally different eyes and it was pure pleasure and extreme delight.
Starring exquisite Fanny Ardant and beautiful Emmanuelle Béart with performances that are excellent, especially because the chemistry between them is just fluid and totally erotic. That’s it if you believe, as I do, that the mind is and words can be the most erotic tool you can use for seduction. Yes, this film is that kind of film where words you hear, said with the most believable intent (or actors performance), propel your mind to go further and further. Ahh!!! Also, perhaps to get what I mean, you should also believe, like I do, that French is the most seductive language in the world… the language of love.
Since it seems I haven’t cool-off that much, I feel like sharing with those that read French, some excerpts from an interview with the actors and the director:
Deux femmes
Emmanuelle Béart confie que Marlène a été pour elle un rôle d'autant plus délicat qu'elle avait enchaîné les tournages de deux films importants, Les Egarés et Histoire de Marie et Julien, juste avant celui de Nathalie... La complicité de Fanny Ardant lui a été précieuse, ainsi qu'elle le raconte : "Je venais de tourner successivement le film de Téchiné et de Rivette. j'étais exsangue, cet état pouvait servir le personnage de Marlène, mais il fallait la patience de Fanny, son regard, sa bienveillance et sa gaieté (...) Sans Fanny, je ne suis pas sûre que j'aurais tenu le coup. Un peu comme Catherine et Marlène vont toutes deux chercher chez l'autre ce qu'elles n'ont pas. Etrangement, j'ai trouvé une forme de sensualité pour mon personnage en regardant Fanny, son charme un peu lascif, sa voix, sa gestuelle."
I totally agree with Emmanuelle as you can see all she mentions in the movie, especially the last sentence.
Les voix du désir
Dans ce film sur le désir, l'érotisme passe beaucoup par le langage. Anne Fontaine justifie ce choix : "Je ne pourrais imaginer faire un film où la représentation du sexe soit littérale, le sexe est tellement sur-représenté, on en connaît toutes les figures. Ce parti-pris de laisser flotter l'imaginaire est à la fois plus pervers, et plus excitant. Le visage de Fanny, écoutant ces gestes vécus, transférés par des mots...c'est évocateur ! Le langage a une puissance érotique très forte, la voix aussi. J'ai d'ailleurs choisi ces deux actrices pour leur voix."
Yes, everything is left to your imagination and their voices are essential to this movie, without Fanny and Emmanuelle the movie would have been quite different. And if you ask me if they made love, my answer is totally yes they did. After seeing the movie (if you do not like spoilers) I suggest you read this post in the imbd where sun7_2 gives a very interesting summary of this movie.
These two actresses were together as well in that amazing movie 8 Femmes, where also starred Catherine Deneuve and other great French actresses. Also here is fantastic Gerard Depardieu in a very good performed supporting role and I have to admit that I love his voice, so for me this movie was all about great voices, lol!
I have to stop this because I feel I don’t sound serious and this is a serious extremely good Lesbian Interest movie. Yes it is.
I do recommend this movie to all French movie lovers and of course, is a must be seen to those that enjoy watching Lesbian Interest movies.
Enjoy!
P.S. I liked so much Sun7_2 comment that I will post it here as a comment, as you may remember that I do not like spoilers before seeing a movie and I assume that there are many others that dislike it too.
4 comments
@Rods, can you imagine that Fontaine's first choice to play Nathalie was Vanessa Paradis??? I'm so glad she was pregnant and couldn't do the movie! Beart was just perfect with Fanny.
Think I can relate to what you say regarding "love always hurts", but in a way I do agree with sun7_2, as extreme pleasure and extreme love really hurts and you 'extremely' enjoy it! So, hurting is not always provoked by negative feelings, intense positive feelings can 'hurt' you too...
I never had any doubts about the fact that the two women fell in love.
...only do not agree with Sun7_2 that love always hurts :)
i think the movie is so sensual with everything that's unspoken; all the little things, the looks, they way they say something, with everything that is implied!!!!
i just wish i could explain it half as well as u and Sun7_2
and i totally agree with both of u, they so big time made love, and the whole deal!!!!
i totally love and recomend this movie!!!!
Would i have to guess, or give my opinion, i would say the two women fell in love with each other. Catherine (Fanny Ardant) loves Nathalie, but in a very cerebral manner. Some sort of intellectual love, out of her traditionnal and comfortable way of life, far from the social conventions that drive the society she lives among. On the other hand, Nathalie loves Catherine but also desires her, you can see that in every look, in every move. She also says it clearly when explaining she lied to keep on seeing Catherine.
That makes a difference, and you can read it on the two women faces, on the last frames : Catherine is satisfied, she seems to have put order back in her life. But Nathalie seems to suffer.
Did they make love ? Definitely, yes. Don't forget that Nathalie was hired by Catherine, who supposed she would fit Bernard's tastes. But how can she know ? The truth is, Catherine chose Nathalie because she liked her, at first sight. Nathalie also said that "it was ok for her to do it with women". Look carefully the way their relationship evolves during the film. They get closer and closer, emotionally, and physically. Nathalie is even introduced to Catherine's mother, and she spends the night in her room ! Remember the scene in the hotel room, when Catherine looks at Nathalie's body, under the shower...or when she's seated on the bed, in a white towel...Catherine looks at Nathalie exactly like a true lover would. Just replace Catherine by a man and what you see is a classical love story, with its ups and downs. Catherine is even jealous of Nath's boyfriends. After the women fell in each other's arms, the screen gets black, and re-opens on Bernard, who is waiting for her spouse. She finally shows up, and Bernard says "we're going to be late". Obviously Catherine spent a lot of time with Nathalie - not only the few minutes we see. What do you think they've done ?
The winner, in the movie, is not love. It's Catherine. She regained her husband. Her life remains intact and socially acceptable to friend's and family's eyes. And she gained a lover - a girl. She stills needs and love her husband of course, she couldn't leave him. So we can consider Nathalie is like a toy for her. That's why Catherine is so happy at the end. Bernard lost and won nothing. All he saw is his wife crying because he cheated on her, nothing more. And then after a few weeks, everything went ok again.
The loser, then, is Nathalie. Before the story takes place, her life was pretty well organized : a nighttime job that makes a lot of money four nights a week; a daytime job sometimes; friends to laugh and giggle with; boyfriends. After the film, she's in love and thinks night and day to Catherine - at the end, she works like a robot, with no expression on her face, with the clients. She's unhappy because she loves Catherine much more than Catherine loves her. She's been trapped.
The message ? Just make up your mind. Mine is : love can strike anytime, anywhere, anyone - and it always hurts. But it is impossible to live without love.