The Cadre November 25,1997

FOREICN FILM REVIEW

BY DAVID MACDONALD

Certainly you've had experiences where you've unwit- tingly taken home a video in less than perfect condition: perha the sound is off, perhaps the picture is not clear, or perhaps entire thing will get all snowy and scratchy and you're afraid that the tape will get eaten up by your hungry VCR. Now imagine this occurring at the end of the movie. This was the exact situation that occurred to me while watching Claire's Knee.

The last 30 seconds grew distorted until it became much likea TV station without a signal. Normally, most people would be pretty upset because they were just itching to see the dramatic/funny/sappy/etc. payoff of the last moment of the film. But, upon retention! figured that if you are in any way |terminate¢ ) familiar with the director Eric Rohmer’s work perhaps there’s [® nd all es had to be made to keep not much to miss in the space of 30 seconds. Pe |

Rohmner becomes tedium. If you happen to fallasleep [| 7 ( ' : e might somehow affect the while watching one of his films, it may mean nothing more than \ Te ' ick the fact that you didn’t plan on spending two hours of your precious time watching a movie like this when you could have gone to the Pit and done the same thing. However, if you actually push yourself to watch one of his movies, you'll find that Rohmner is actually sort of good at this.

He populates his movie with somewhat interesting char- acters, who talk (and talk some more), usually about the complex entanglements of romantic relationships, and who act pretty civilised about it all (perhaps it is a French thing). Claire 's Knee, in particular, is about a man who is about to get Available Nov. 25 ae married, and who stays at a summer home next to one where his long-lost female friend is staying, along with other full-time occupants of the house. This woman is a writer wanting an ending to her story, which is of course about a man -- quite like the one in this movie -- who is about to get married, and who, in a last burst of freedom, decides to test his charms on some young women. And, of course, the writer happens to be staying with a woman and her two young daughters. The man is quite willing to be the writer’s “guinea pig” for this experiment in art imitating life.

This film is filled with idle chat, so during these experi- ments we find out a lot about the two daughters, especially Laura, who speaks in great deal about what she desires in a relationship, including her reasons for why she doesn’t prefer guys her own age, ond so on. However, things get a bit rocky when Laura’s sister Claire comes on to the scene, and for some reason the man is quite obsessed with Claire’s knee. He will not rest until he touches that knee.

This is a good film, with interesting characters and views

449 University Ave onrelationships, but if you fall asleep during long conversations, Sood a am remember that you were warned. Rating: ***1/2

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