2017 psychological thriller directed by Roman Polanski.
Delphine is a writer overwhelmed by her own success, distanced most of the time from her husband and her son and daughter, which provokes an incipient feeling of loneliness in her, especially when she faces a writer’s block and starts receiving hostile anonymous letters. When Delphine meets Elle, a woman who seems to understand her and begins to take control of her life.
Based on a True Story, titled as D’après une histoire vraie in French, is based on the Delphine de Vigan novel, and although I haven’t read the book, seems like the kind of story that tends to be better on paper than on screen.
Alexandre Desplat’s music, the performances of Emmanuelle Seigner as a depressive writer and Eva Green as an obsessive and emotionally unstable psychotic make it possible to digest this one hour and fifty-minute film. However, it is not the best work of them, something that translated into a very poor result in the theater, where it grossed just under four million dollars, despite its fifteen million dollar budget. The failure of this film in theaters is probably caused by deficiencies in the characters and plot; the absence of conflict, the apparent absolute passivity of the main character, who does not seem to react externally to any of the situations, but remains immutably absorbed in her own thoughts, thoughts that are conveyed confusingly, almost cryptically, like the rest of the elements that lead to a coherent, but partially unsatisfactory ending.
For a moment the film is reminiscent of Barbet Schroeder’s Single White Female and for another moment of Rob Reiner’s Misery, but without the growing conflict, one scene follows the other without trying to increase the expectation, diminishing the interest on each occasion, becoming reiterative, barely even suggesting some sexual tension between the characters, but like the rest of the moderately interesting elements it proposes is quickly diluted, promises things that do not materialize and has a resolution that is, although explanatory, completely anticlimactic.
Although I think the film fails on several levels, it also allows for some interesting readings, so a viewer who enjoys solving puzzles may see it as a kind of attention puzzle.
If you saw the movie, let me know your opinion and if you haven’t seen it yet, let me know if you are interested in seeing it or if you prefer to see something different.
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I must have missed this one completely. I didn't know Polanski was still directing to be honest. The last film of his I saw was The Ghost Writer and it wasn't very memorable for me.
That's too bad it didn't capture your interest for the most part and I appreciate you sharing your views on it. SWF and Misery peaked my interest but it doesn't seem to lead anywhere exciting from the looks of it.
Better luck next time I suppose with this one.
Nice review and I like how you delve into a bit more backstory about everything related to the film like the book and budget issues.
Yes, Polanski has not stopped directing, he made four films after The Ghost Writer, although I have only seen two of them. This time, the idea of a French psychological thriller with Eva Green and directed by Polanski caught my attention. Unfortunately, it was not as good as I expected.
Thank you very much for your comment.
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