Un week-end sur deux

I saw this film in New York City, at a matinee consisting of about eight people, based on a favorable review by Vincent Canby during his last days as the chief movie critic for the New York Times. It has stayed with me, and has often come to mind in the many years since then.

Nicole Garcia's direction is highly personal, highly indiosyncratic, with the texture and richness of real life and lived experience rather than the polish and technique of a film school graduate with a big studio budget. In a way, with its strong woman's point of view and its refusal to pander for audience approval of its characters' behavior, it might make for an interesting pairing with Allison Anders' independent American film, Gas, Food, Lodging (though the two films are in no way related in storyline, locale, socio-economic milieu, etc.).

Nathalie Baye is extraordinarily effective as the heroine on the verge of (or in the midst of) a spiritual breakdown. She can be rude and sullen, but strangely fascinating; she has a great drunk scene in which she blows a much-needed job; she's full of surprises and a far more interesting actress than the mediocre one she's playing in the film, as she drives on in search of an eclipse and ultimate redemption.

Though it is deliberately small in scale and proportioned accordingly, this film is well worth a look, both as a superb character study and as a choice acting vehicle for Ms. Baye.