One of the acknowledged masters of cinema has returned in glorious form with a vibrant, life-affirming film that certainly provides its share of joyous surprises. Alain Resnais has made some of the essential works in the history of the medium, from his extraordinary collection of shorts (including the seminal Nuit et brouillard) to modernist masterpieces like Hiroshima mon amour and L'Année dernière à Marienbad. For over half a century, Resnais, who is now eighty-seven, has explored a variety of issues, including memory, politics and history. His recent films have had their basis in the theatre, featuring a stock company of trusted actors and friends.
As Les Herbes folles shows, Resnais's talent still flames bright. Even though he was looking for a stage play to adapt, this latest film is based on a book by Christian Gailly. Resnais was attracted by the musicality of Gailly's writing, as well as by the irrationality of the characters at the centre of the plot. Relying on his troupe of dependable actors – Sabine Azéma, André Dussollier, Anne Consigny, Emmanuelle Devos, Michel Vuillermoz and Mathieu Amalric – Resnais carves out a wonderfully eccentric tale about a couple who meet over a lost wallet.
When Georges, an elderly, happily married house-husband and father of two, comes across a wallet in a parking lot, he is intrigued by a photograph of its owner that he discovers within. Marguerite is a single dentist who happens to fly airplanes as a hobby. Georges cannot decide if he should contact Marguerite, and this dithering over whether or not to approach her sets the tone for the bizarre moments of miscommunication that underline their relationship. Resnais observes their elaborate dance of attraction and rejection, hesitation and impulsiveness with all the wisdom of an artist who loves his characters and revels in their misadventures.
Resnais employs a loopy, almost casual style, which conceals a darker current of feeling set against visually sumptuous backdrops. Although the film is light, comedic and frothy, it is never silly. Other tones also come into play as Resnais examines the vulnerabilities and insecurities of his very modern couple. Les Herbes folles is a film that surprises and delights in equal measure.
Piers Handling
Alain
Resnais
was
born
in
Vannes,
France.
He
made
the
documentary
short
Nuit et brouillard in
1955,
followed
by
two
groundbreaking
features,
Hiroshima mon amour (59)
and
L'Année dernière à Marienbad (61).
His
subsequent
features
include
Muriel ou Le Temps d'un retour (63),
La Guerre est finie (66),
Je t'aime, je t'aime (68),
Stavisky... (74),
Providence (77),
Mon oncle d'Amérique (80),
Mélo (86),
Smoking/No Smoking (93),
On connaît la chanson (97),
Pas sur la bouche (03),
Cœurs (06)
and Les Herbes folles (09).