Our film for February is Wild Grass (Les herbes folles, 2009), directed by one of the most original French filmmakers of the 20th and 21st century, Alain Resnais. We will screen the film on Wednesday, February 18 at 3 pm in the Grande Salle of the Alliance, at 1011 2nd Street, Santa Rosa, Suite 206.
This is a free event. Refreshments and popcorn will be served.
Directly after the screening, Joelle Pluchon and Peter Zingg will host a bilingual discussion. There will be no online Zoom for this event.
Christopher Bourne, writing for the New York Film Festival, said that the film
[is filled with] miscommunications, comic reversals and general madness that Resnais renders with a light touch, yet with as deeply philosophical and metaphysical an air as many of his weightier films. Aided by superb cinematography by frequent collaborator Eric Gautier, “Wild Grass” is just as inventive visually as it is narratively. Panoramic crane shots, lush color and kaleidoscopic fracturing of images dazzle with their audacity; Resnais puts most filmmakers a fraction of his age to utter shame. Mark Snow’s score is another essential ingredient in this rich stew; it alternates seamlessly from jazzy compositions to tense thriller-like themes that both support and provide wry counterpoint to the scenario.
As technically impressive as this all is, it is the wonderful ensemble cast Resnais has assembled that elevate this film. It is almost giddy in its twists and turns, and is continually unpredictable, just like its two main characters. Like any great stage director, Resnais has built up over the years a reliable and excellent stock company of actors…, who flawlessly register the quicksilver changes of their characters in such a way that they are always appealing and deeply sympathetic, even at their most irrational.
Parking note: When visiting our classrooms, do not park in the office suite behind our building on 2nd Street. The landlord of that office has told us he will be towing away any unauthorized vehicles.
Film Details
Original title / Titre originale: Les Herbes folles (2009)
Running time / Durée: 1h44m
Genres: Drama, Romance
Directed by / Réalisé par: Alain Resnais
Casting: André Dussollier, Sabine Azéma, Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric, Anne Consigny
Stream it online / Regarder sur: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Marguerite n’avait pas prévu qu’on lui volerait son sac à la sortie du magasin. Encore moins que le voleur jetterait le contenu dans un parking. Quant à Georges, s’il avait pu se douter, il ne se serait pas baissé pour le ramasser.
Marguerite loses her wallet, and it’s found by Georges, a seemingly happy head of family. As he looks through the wallet and examines the photos of Marguerite, he finds he’s fascinated with her and her life, and soon his curiosity about her becomes an obsession.