The Tree, the Mayor and the Mediatheque

Wow what did I just watch? Not many directors other than Rohmer can make small town politics so frothy and fun yet poignant and sincere. I laughed so many times!

Can't help but think Rohmer is treading some of Baudrillard's territory here, with some illusions to the authenticity of rural vs urban space. At the same time, it's all sort of cute and silly (but not in a bad way) so it never really feels heavy. It's really weird to watch a Rohmer movie that's not about sex, though. I mean, nobody is even remotely interested in boning. That's pretty weird.

Lower tier Rohmer, though still a really good film. The discussions are more political than usual for him and as such it's a bit more detached from the characters than his other films. Even so there are plenty of the great little moments character and conversation moments I love, and the story is interesting enough to hold everything together.

Viewed September 13, 2021. Rohmer’s films are often about people talking past and around one another, airing their viewpoints with little regard for anyone else’s. In this instance, the film is an amusing portrait of the impossibility of political discourse — everyone involved is so stubborn in their beliefs that no amount of persuasion can get them to see the other side’s perspective. The film is ultimately very charming, because Rohmer presents these conversations like the games that t

Another gem from Rohmer, on, among many other things, the occlusion of the role of chance in history. The way this director constructs his characters and their interactions, and works with his actors, is unsurpassed. The directly political flavour of much of the dialogue here only adds to the fascination and pleasure: it is even something of a treatise. Many great scenes: loved the one with the architect.

Good Movie

revisto em 7 de setembro de 2023