"You choose total freedom and you got total loneliness"

Incredibly compelling and engrossing.

731

A stark, bleak, unsettling film about a young misfit who can't -- in some ways chooses not to -- find her place in the world. Blame for this is evident both in her and the society to which she cannot relate. Varda presents the girl's tale without ever taking her side and making us pity her. Ultimately it's an utterly unromantic portrait of France in the 80's, one which we are often not privy to.

#786

What intrigues me most about Varda's work is how, (and I'm repeating myself, see review for Happiness), she manages to provoke the audience without us knowing it.

The 80s atmosphere, especially the music, can be a little distracting, but it's a small blip in a very touching examination of the desolation one can experience on the margins of society. Despite the sad content this avoids being depressing by viewing things as events in a lived life rather than dwelling on the inevitable end.

A decent film from an acting and writing standpoint, but the incessant fade outs slow the momentum and the film starts to meander after about an hour.

# 648

Aimless wandering and survival. For a time. Hella depressing.

Character study just isn't as cool when the lead character is as obnoxious as the bum featured here, even when she's played by somebody as cute as Bonnaire. It's different, but it's not very engaging or insightful. Moreover, we see what's supposed to be a stiff at the beginning, but you can clearly see the "corpse"'s heartbeat pumping away in one of her carotids. This sort of obvious falldown in attention to detail just shouldn't be condoned in a movie that's sold as some kind of "art" film

674