I've been busy catching up today, Dear Readers, ergo my apparent silence on this site.
I did find time this afternoon, however, to see The Dreamers, Bernardo Bertolucci's new film. This is a curious picture and, to be frank, I am not sure I got it. I believe it supposed to capture the frisson in the air in Paris during 1968. There is ample talk about Maoism, the conflict in Vietnam and pacifism, as well as depiction of the reaction to the expulsion from the Musee du Cine of Henri Langlois and, later on, violent street riots, though it is never made clear precisely what the rioters are protesting.
In this milieu we follow the story of a 19 year old female, her twin brother and a similarly aged American male. Brought together by their frequent sojourns to see classic cinema at the Musee's theatre, the three end up rather quickly in a bizarre menage a trois of sorts. They enjoy playing a psycho-sexual mind-game variation on the game of Charades, in which scenes from movies are played out by one or other of the lead characters. Failure to guess correctly by the other members of the threesome involves some rather unusual punishments.
The most enjoyable aspect of The Dreamers is when Bertolucci intercuts scenes involving the three main characters with clips from the movies from which their actions are drawn. Scenes involving Greta Garbo in Queen Christina and three actors whose names I do not know in A la Bande (I hope I have that correct) racing through the Louvre were particularly endearing.
It was never clear to me where the relationships amongst the central trio were going, be it as a threesome or when they left one behind to form a pair. As pretty as all three main characters were, I found it somewhat difficult to sympathize with any of them, and found myself little invested in their experiences. The story just sort of stops, with no resolution.
The picture's credits roll from the top down (the credits in every other movie I've seen roll from the bottom up.) This is fine when information falls on one line. Multiple line credits, however, such as for the songs and film clips used in the movie, of which there were many, were impossible to read. Someone was being arbitrary and ought to get his or her butt cheeks slapped from here to tarnation for doing such an annoying thing.
Anyone who is uncomfortable with depictions of full frontal nudity (male and female), simulated sex, incest and/or poor housekeeping should avoid this picture.
With this post, I shall inaugurate the Jay Rating System. On a scale that ranges from "Run to see it now" to "See it after you've seen the other top items on your filmgoing list" to "Wait for the DVD" to "Avoid at all costs," I say The Dreamers rates a "Wait for the DVD."