By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Benoît Jacquot
Starring: Clara Bindi | Isabelle Huppert | Jean-Hughes Anglade | Maya Sansa | Xavier Beauvois
Country: france
Year: 2009
Running time: 94
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1348327/
Bruce says: “Isabelle Huppert is an actress I would pay money to hear read the phone book; any city – Paris, New York, Tokyo – will do. Huppert elevates every film in which she appears and that fortunately is the case in VILLA AMALIA which would otherwise be unbearable. The story is vaguely familiar: talented artist abandons her career in search of life’s meaning. The corollary here is that people with money can afford to be a self-indulgent as their imagination will allow. To set things straight, this is the type of French film I relate to least.
“Huppert plays Ann, a renowned pianist/composer who inexplicably walks off stage mid-concert. She calls it, ‘Putting an end to my former life.’ Shortly before, we see Ann stalking her lover Thomas (Xavier Beauvois), only to spot him rendezvousing with another woman. As she stands on the sidewalk, a man approaches her from the darkness, saying, ‘That house really interests you. For a burglary?’ He identifies himself as Georges (Jean-Hughes Anglade), an old childhood friend who coincidentally lives nearby. Later at her apartment, Ann confronts Thomas about his feelings towards her and he indicates that in his eyes their relationship is perfect. When Ann mentions she knows about his infidelity Thomas begins swallowing his words. For most women, such a confrontation would be justification for irrational behavior. For Ann, it seems that it was just the excuse she has been looking for all along.
“Georges becomes a co-conspirator of sorts. Ann begins her new life by selling her apartment and her prized pianos. Ann places all her affairs in the hands of Georges so that she can become anonymous. She has it out with Thomas, visits her aged mother, and then disappears. No one except for us viewers knows what she is up to. Although she mentions other destinations Ann wends her way to Ischia, an island in the Bay of Naples. There she finds a lovely abandoned villa and a gorgeous new girlfriend. (If VILLA AMALIA is a coming-out story, it is cleverly concealed as such since Ann’s same-sex romance is treated in a matter-of-fact manner.) When her mother dies, Ann flies back for the funeral and meets her father for the first time since he abandoned her when she was a child. That she expresses some affection for the man stretches credulity way beyond normal boundaries.
“Based on a prize-winning novel by Pascal Quignard, one can only hope that the book makes more sense than the film. Isabelle Huppert probably creates more sharpness of character than any other actress could possibly deliver. Nonetheless, the viewer remains short changed. I loved watching Huppert every minute she was on screen; I really disliked the story. 2.5 cats Bruce C. Kingsley
“VILLA AMALIA screened as part of the Rendezvous with French Cinema festival sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.”