By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Cédric Klapisch
Starring: Albert Dupontel | Fabrice Luchini | François Cluzet | Juliette Binoche | Romain Duris
Country: france
Year: 2009
Running time: 130
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0869994/
Bruce says: “PARIS is a kaleidoscopic film, one that tells many stories at once; it is difficult to keep the characters straight and impossible to imagine how they could be related. This statement is more observation than complaint. It is obvious that Klapisch’s film is a tribute to the city of Paris, recognizing all of its strong points but not overlooking the flaws. It is also a tribute to the people who live there and those who admire it from afar.
“The film has a thin central story. Pierre (Roman Duris also the star of Klapisch’s L’AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE and RUSSIAN DOLLS, PEUT-ÊTRE, GOOD OLD DAZE, and WHEN THE CAT’S AWAY) is a dancer in a Follies Bergere type show. He has been recently told that his heart is giving out and he must have a transplant. After hearing this alarming news, Pierre’s sister Élise (Juliette Binoche) moves into Pierre’s apartment with her three children. All this portends a sitcom about a dying uncle. Not so. Suddenly, the film branches out to include many other Parisian stories and one from Cameroon.
“Nearby Pierre and Élise’s apartment is a marché. The stall vendors are butchers and purveyors of vegetables. Their relationships are complicated as Élise comes to learn on her trips to the market. Jean (Albert Dupontel and Caroline (Julie Ferrer) once were married. Élise has her eye on Jean but is developing a relationship with Caroline who is being wooed by one of the other butchers, a close friend of Jean’s. Another story involves two brothers, Roland and Philippe (Fabrice Luchini and François Cluzet.) Pilippe, the younger of the two, is married and soon to be a father. Roland is a famous historian and a professional loner. He begins to lust after a girl who is in one of his lecture courses. The young girl has a boyfriend and she lives across the street from Pierre who fantasizes about her from his window. Meanwhile, a young man in Cameroon receives a postcard from his brother in Paris. Some of these characters and stories are connected; others have a charming connection at the end of the film.
“Expecting too much from these isolated stories is a mistake. The best way to enjoy PARIS is to appreciate the gorgeous shots of the city and the cycle of life – from new arrivals to the sudden deaths – of those who live there. In all there are somewhere between twenty and thirty characters to keep track of, a demanding task in light of not knowing which are essential to the plot and which are likely to never be seen again. 3 1/2 cats”
Peg says: “PARIS, directed by Cédric Klapisch, is a contemporary story of life in the City of Light. At the heart of the film is a young dancer named Pierre (Romain Duris) who finds out he has a life-threatening heart condition. His sister Elise (Juliette Binoche) and her children move in to take care of him. Pierre must rest while he waits on a heart transplant, and as he stands on his balcony and observes life in this most cosmopolitan of cities, so do we: the vegetable purveyor (Albert Dupontel) who has a crush on Elise; the historian (the always wonderful Fabrice Luchini) who hosts a documentary show about the city and develops an unhealthy obsession with a young student; the racist bakery owner who is rude to almost everyone; the African immigrant who develops a misguided crush on a fashion model; and others. These smaller stories become almost like snapshots that recur throughout, and we wonder if Pierre’s forced inactivity is the catalyst for these invented lives. But the point isn’t to create a conventional character-based narrative; it’s to portray and celebrate this ancient but changing city. Paris is the epitome of romance but Klapisch does not romanticize the city’s problems, instead offering a selection of glimpses at daily life, seen and lived by an intriguing cross-section of its inhabitants. I found this film thoughtful and moving, and unlike anything I have ever seen. Despite its often dark subject matter, the film remains optimistic, buoyed up by the hope and daily dreams and desires of its inhabitants, much like the city itself. 4 cats ”