By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Olivier Assayas
Starring: Anders Danielsen Lie | Kristen Stewart | Lars Eidinger | Nora von Waldstätten | Sigrid Bouaziz | Ty Olwin
Original language title: Olivier Assayas
Country: belgium, czech_republic, france, germany
Year: 2017
Running time: 105
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4714782/reference
Thom says: “French director Olivier Assayas has been something of an in-and-outer director for me but his best films are indeed world class brilliant. I loved CLEAN (2004), SUMMER HOURS (2008), CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (2014), & especially DEMONLOVER, my FILM-OF-THE-YEAR for 2002. COLD WATER (1994), IRMA VEP (1996), BOARDING GATE (2007), LES DESTINEES (2000), LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (1998), SOMETHING IN THE AIR (2012), CARLOS (2010) not so much. I recently discovered that Assayas is the son of Jacques Remy, a hugely successful film writer from the previous century. There was his marriage to Chinese superstar Maggie Cheung whom Assayas used in CLEAN, that makes me wonder if he has a relationship with American star Kristen Stewart whom is the star of both this film and his previous one CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA. At any rate this flick is multi-layered with a large number of genres covered with a great deal of success, although I can certainly see where it might be criticized. I saw the film with my brother and he didn’t like it at all. The www.us.imdb critic really loathed the film. Here the TWILIGHT star plays Maureen, a fashionista personal shopper to a nasty celebrity who is centered in Paris. Her twin brother had died there some three months past from a congenital heart defect that Maureen might have and while hating her job she stays in Paris to establish some spiritual connection with him. So there’s a paranormal side of the film that is mildly exploited. Maureen then begins to receive stalking text messages that she believes might be coming from her dead brother. A murder mystery pops up out of nowhere that, although fleetingly, enhances the story. I followed the passages with definite vigor but certainly I had to accept where Assayas was leading us. I liked the fact that almost the entire cast was unknown by me, rather unusual for any film.”