Customer Reviews

A Single Girl

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A Single Girl is a remarkable movie with an equally remarkable actress. Virginie Ledoyen is on the screen for the whole movie, often by herself in her own thoughts-but you never tire of watching her. This is partly because she is so pretty, and partly because she is so alive on screen. But mostly it is because she is a terrific actress, she goes from flirting to fury in the space of a breath. Finally, you have to credit the director,Benoit Jacquot, with developing a story and a rhythm which allowed Virginie to explore what being a single girl can mean. I agree with the other customer review, where was the academy award nomination for Virginie?

This movie is fantastic. I had to watch it for a French class (I am a French major) and was reluctant at first to even bother paying attention. But the movie is very, very unique (filmed in real time except for a jump ahead to two years later) and exceedlingly well-filmed. Virginie is a fabulous actress (and very brave to be filmed in such a manner), and she portrays the problem of wanting to be a single, independent woman and mother in France. Her portrayal is very important to contemporary French society, and she lives up to the task. This movie is honestly one of my top five favorite French movies, and I have seen many!

Like Godard's VIVRE SA VIE, A SINGLE GIRL is ultimately an affectionate character study of its leading lady, Virginie Ledoyen. Thus, how you respond to this film will depend on how captivated you are by Ledoyen's performance. Prior to viewing A SINGLE GIRL, I was somewhat baffled by her rise to something of cult status in French cinema. Yes, as one reviewer mentioned, she has a cute face, but there is no shortage of cute faces in cinema these days. What is most striking about Ledoyen's performance in A SINGLE GIRL, and what really convinced me of her talent, is the depth and range of feeling she is able to convey just by her movements and expressions. Although she is on screen for the whole picture, she has relatively few lines, and what her character does say, is usually evasive. And yet in order to sell her character, Ledoyen must make her viewer feel the anxiety of a young woman confronting an uncertain situation. One of the more remarkable passages of this film is when Ledoyen calls her mother, and in that phone conversation attempts to tell her mother everything without saying much of anything. It is a riveting scene which has her character searching for maternal affection, while trying to mask her vulnerability.

If you are not similarly enchanted by Ledoyen's performance, it goes without saying that you will not appreciate this film. As the screenplay is lackluster in points and the ending is dissapointing, A SINGLE GIRL succeeds mainly because of Ledoyen's performance (though the supprorting cast is also excellent). If you do not find her peformance absorbing, the real time narration will lose all of its force. As a result, I would recommend that you rent this DVD first. I highly recommend that you give this film an honest viewing (I think it is among the most significant works of the nineties), but it is not for all taste. The Winstar DVD is subpar, as usual. Fortunately the film is presented in widescreen format; however, the transfer is very dark and muddled. Nonetheless, if you were as captivated by this film as I was, you no doubt will be able to tolerate the mediocre presentation.

Although this movie seems to center on the scintillatingly beautiful Virginie Ledoyen, it actually provides an in-depth portrait of the nature of relationships. While trying to make a decision about her life, Ledoyen encounters a number of characters, each engaged in a negative relationship. She witnesses the joys and pitfalls of the people she meets, and the sight of each hurtful relationship seems to make her withdraw. The triumph of the movie is watching Ledoyen grow more remote and distant with each encounter, leading to her own seemingly baffling decision at the end of the movie.

I would encourage anyone to watch this movie and understand that it is more than a story about Ledoyen's character-it is a commentary piece, with Ledoyen representing the audience. Five stars.

As John Lennon once wrote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

This is a very simple film, and that simplicity gives it an extraordinary beauty. And speaking of "extraordinary beauty," Virginie Ledoyen is a revelation, a young Isabelle Adjani in the making.

Ledoyen plays Valerie, a young French girl who one morning meets her boyfriend in cafe, argues with him, then runs off to a hotel a couple blocks away to begin a new job. Her new co-workers greet her in the manner co-workers always greet a newcomer: some with welcome arms and others with contempt. When Valerie gets a break and runs back to the cafe to finish the argument with her boyfriend, we feel every tick of the clock. We know she is taking too long on the break and has got to get back!

But everything that happens to Valerie is so very real and so very urgent because the film is shot in real time. This was a daring attempt by the director, Benoit Jacquot, but his gamble hits the bullseye. Of course, with Virginie Ledoyen to follow around with his camera, Jacquot could hardly go wrong.

"La Fille seule" is an absolute gem of a film that is particularly fascinating because its structural simplicity belies a complex, multi-layered character study. And the subject of writer/director Jacquot's scrutiny is a headstrong, independent young woman who, while acknowledging her vulnerability in the face of several personal crises, refuses to sit idly by and play the victim. The camera utterly adores actress Virginie Ledoyen (who portrays Valerie with raw vibrance), which is perhaps why there is never a dull moment in a film that was shot in real time so that viewers could get a glimpse of even the most trivial of daily tasks that Valerie undertakes. What is also interesting is Jacquot's low-keyed exploration of sexual harassment in the workplace and of how brief, chance encounters with strangers can have long-term effects on our personal attitudes and perceptions.

Virginie Ledoyen might be one of the most cute actress in our cinema. I invite everybody to follow her (this is what Benoît Jacquot does here)during 90 minutes. This movie is a real event, obviously by its formal choice and - I must insist - by the emotional presence of the french actress. NB : Check out the release of "Jeanne et le garçon formidable" with the same actress, a musical a la Demy, better than Demy. Be patient and just watch "A Single girl".

It's so refreshing to find such a wonderful, low-key movie.Its basically a day in the life of a young woman facing her first day of work as a room service maid at a hotel.During that day she must face not only all sort of hotel clients but also the dilemma of how to deal with her boyfriend and his mixed feelings about her pregnancy. This is the kind of movie that shows that you dont need a million explosions and over the top situations to have great drama. It reveals that everyday problems can be just as compelling.This is a terrific movie with an amazing central performance by Virginie Leyoden.Seeing her in "The Beach" shows that sometimes "Going Hollywood"is a step down in someone's career. Anyway..dont miss it.

A pleasant surprise and not without some thought provoking action. Many scenes are very easy on the eyes too .

Watched it. Liked it lots. One or two things about it that I didn't like, so I'll start with them. I'm knocking a point off the 5-star reviews everybody else has been giving it because...it didn't really go anywhere. Don't get me wrong, it's fun viewing throughout. But when the end credits came up I was shouting "Don't end there! I need more information!" Well, maybe not actually shouting. Maybe it's just me, but I thought the ending just fizzled a little. Like it just stopped at an arbitrary moment.

But aside from that, this is a great film. Everything in the other reviews (see above) I just read is true. Virginie Ledoyen is unbearably yummy throughout, and if I was rating purely on her performance I'd give several billion stars out of five. How can I put this...I rarely fear for the well-being of a character, and in this film I did. I believed her. Becoming a big fan...where was I? Oh right, review. Umm...Just get over the fact it's in French and watch the damn thing.