Customer Reviews

Friday Night

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had to sign up as a reviewer just to counter the customer reviews of this film that are missing the point. This is great film! An historic film! Claire Denis is a courageous filmmaker precisely because she does not pander to the audience's expecations; she does not conform to the conventions of Hollywood-influenced filmmaking. Instead she pursues the kind of quiet drama that unfolds in realism with remarkable insight into character, with remarkable compassion for humanity. As a result, her films might sometimes seem slow, or seem as though little is happening. But what you get is far more amazing than a sinking "Titanic": You get a real picture of the sort of real drama that occurs between real people in their real lives. Imagine a love story between people who are not more beautiful, not more amazing, not more different than you and I -- imagine a love story between people like us -- and then imagine a filmmaker who can capture all of its minute nuance. That is greatness. That is Claire Denis and "Friday Night."

Laure (Valerie Lemercier) is moving out of her apartment to move in with her boyfriend. Almost all of her possessions are packed and labeled, with the exception of a few she needs to decide on. Her home, the area that belongs to her completely is in her car. In the midst of Paris' transit strike, she gives a lift to Jean (Vincent Lindon).

That is a brief description of the beginning of Madame Denis' wonderful Vendredi Soir. Very few films are paced so exquisitely showing us the first stages of attraction and desire as this one did. The shots of Laure watching Jean's hands, Jean removing Laure's glove to caress her hand and their decisive brush against each other on the staircase are some of the loveliest and most romantic images I've seen on film.

Desire is sometimes fleeting, but almost always memorizable. Yes, their affair is brief but during it, you can almost see them both noting, analyzing and remembering. The final shot of Laure, dressed and ready to go, as she gently touches Jean was both her and our exit out of the gorgeous, romantic fantasy that was this movie.

If you're looking for action, thrills, an intricate plot and a cliff hanger of an ending, this is not the film for you. But if you're content to find a lyrical, seamless, gentle film about two strangers sharing a night for no other reason than curiosity and affection, you'll be pleasantly surprised by Friday Night. Sometimes people share their bodies and perhaps even their hearts for a night without the world collapsing aound their ears, without people being hurt, without a thousand words of drama and heartache. Friday Night portrays such a night, wrapped in superb camerawork (you can always tell when a cinematographer started out as a still photographer,) ethereal, lighter than air music (I'll buy this DVD if only for that, as there seems to be no soundtrack cd) and editing which allows us to be caressed by the quiet moments. Someone once said that the music is between the notes, and the editor and director understand this. An unusual, sensual, quiet little experience for the film fan weary of overacted, explosive American fare. If you've experienced a one night stand or two, you may find yourself wishing they had been this uncomplicated and enjoyable.

Sometimes physical attraction is so strong and the consequences for following through with said attraction are so weak that we cannot help but do the dirty deed...right there and right now.
Claire Denis's "Friday Night" tells the story of such an encounter and it tells it from the woman's (Valerie Lemerciere) point of view.
Often such stories are told in the style of a fairy tale with the girl as a fairy princess and the man a knight with shining armor. But Denis is too realistic and thoughtful a director for this. Instead we get a 2003 take on the situation with all the pitfalls and emotional weight intact. The meeting, the courtship, the physical relationship and the breakup is all done in one night.
Denis has shown us in "The Venus Beauty Institute" that relationships often take turns and twists that we cannot predict and that love can come from the unlikeliest places. In "Friday Night" we see a relationship telescoped into one evening and it is thrilling, bizarre but ultimately quite wonderful and resonant with the truth and humanity of something real.

Paris is the City of Love and this films goes to show it. It is a story of two complete strangers who meet each other on the night when public transportation workers are on strike and traffic in a city is put to a halt. Laure, female character of this movie is preparing to move in with her boyfriend. One can sense her mild anxiety about the move, her effort of packing her personal belongings, the quiet goodbye to the apartment in the old building full of familal noises at night...

Jean, the man she meets by chance is a complete stranger. Yet, there is an instant attraction she feels towards him if for no other reson than for the fact that he is not a talker and yet he is self-assured. They wordlessly put each other at ease and spend the night together driving through the street of Paris, having a late dinner at the Italian restaurant and settling for the cheap hotel that has no guests other than themselves.

It is a kind of story that puts person at ease. Remarkably, there are no expectations between these two people other than a one night search for pleasure and quiet. They relish their appetite for life, food and each other bodies without any reservations and even the simple touches between their hands, brushes against each other on the staircase of the local brasserie is enough for both of them. If there ever was an experience that needed to set Laure free it is ths one. There are no expectations and no regrets - there is just moment of happiness it that is good enought for these two strangers on one cold, Friday night.

This film is excellent but requires patience. It will frustrate viewers who are not willing to wait for the emotional details to grow and gain power. However, it ultimately comes together in complex and interesting ways.

The story is basically about the intimate encounters (only) of a woman picking up a man in her car during the traffic Jam (due to transportation strike).....that's all....

Friday Night

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Dr, MR Franc MBBS (PhD) GPS Ang Poon Kah

Claire Denis' beautiful one night stand with her audience. One night with a total stranger sans baggage. It didn't happen before & won't happen again. Note we have an early hint when the woman is preparing to move in with her boyfriend, however she can't throw out that flashy dress.

I believe that Claire Denis is one of the few great directors working in Europe right now. Most of the greatest European filmmakers are past their prime or dead, and currently most of the world-class talents are located in Asia (Iran, Taiwan, Korea). Denis, one of the last hopes for French cinema, has made some brilliant films, but "Vendredi Soir" could be her weakest. All the stylistic traits that have served her so well in the past are there: the spare style, the moodiness, the soundtrack, the superb cinematography of Agnes Godard... and the editing in this film is particularly fine. Yet here all the stylistic excellence comes off as too little. The director describes it as an attempt to capture a moment, but the moment is relatively banal (a woman meets a man, they check into a hotel, make love and have pizza afterwards) and the whole attempt at spontaneity comes off as forced, despite the film's beautiful rhythm. Many have responded favorably to the film (one critic even calling it the most beautiful film ever made about two people) because, as I've mentioned, it has a lot going for it. It's just that unlike the director's best works, "Vendredi Soir" is unable to engage. It left me indifferent to the characters, the scenario, and whatever the director was trying to convey. The DVD transfer looks good, though, and adequately captures Godard and Denis' lovely vision of Paris at night. It's perhaps a little grainy, but I suspect Denis just likes the grainy look. The DVD also contains commentary by the director and the great critic Kent Jones - certainly a worthwhile perk if you're a fan of the director's work.

Okay, I'm a big Claire Denis fan--the sublime "Chocolat," "Nenette and Boni," even "Beau Travail"--but this one is worse than pretty bad, really. It's downright awful. All, that is, but the stunning opening shot over the roofs of Paris.