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So romantic and haunting is
Déja Vu's premise, it cries out for a director with more magic than Henry Jaglom can muster. Just before a long-engaged woman (Victoria Foyt, Jaglom's collaborator and second wife) slips into a serviceable marriage with a nice, if rather dull, guy (Michael Brandon), a chance encounter with an older Frenchwoman--a ghost?--derails her. After confiding memories of a dead-ended World War II love affair, the mysterious lady disappears, leaving behind a ruby pin that signifies one should never settle for less than the love of one's life. Drawn into the woman's past, Foyt travels from Paris to the White Cliffs of Dover--the WWII song, promising happy endings, is reprised at every turn--where she discovers the (married) love of her life (Stephen Dillane). Should they ruthlessly follow the dictates of their hearts? Or reject serendipitous passion in favor of familiar, safe lives? The star-crossed couple's dilemma comes into dramatic focus during a house party, when the guests (especially the charismatic Vanessa Redgrave) share tales about defining emotional moments, seized or allowed to pass. Director Jaglom likes to let a movie "happen" during such get-togethers, with family or friends improvising on often intimate themes (e.g.,
Babyfever's shower, 1994;
Eating's birthday celebration, 1990). Such cinéma vérité can pay off in the freshest kinds of insights about the human condition--or it can be like getting cornered at a cocktail party by a pack of garrulous solipsists. Look for some of both in
Déja Vu.
--Kathleen Murphy
Review
'Deja Vu' is sweepingly romantic! --Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
'Deja Vu' is sweepingly romantic! --Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
'Deja Vu' is sweepingly romantic! --Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
