A stylish and autobiographical film in which the autobiographical aspect should not be taken too literally. The maker allows himself all kinds of liberty in his portrait of relationships in decay and of a woman dominated by her drug addiction. The film is dedicated to Nico, the Swedish actress and musician who sang in The Velvet Underground. Nico was also one of the most legendary junkies in rock history – a history not entirely free of legendary junkies. The blond German woman in the film, also obsessed by drugs, is obviously based on the figure of Nico, who in reality was also the film maker’s partner for some time. The film has a second protagonist, however, in the form of empty and decaying locations. Here, the film maker plays a very concentrated game with the actors and their places in the space. Cinema in its purest essence. The film is being screened together with two other films by Garrel, his latest film Les amants réguliers and Sauvage innocence, that have in common the fact that they comprise autobiographical elements and that drugs and drug use are central themes. Together they form an imposing series in which the destruction and seduction of drugs form the basis and inspiration of a painful beauty. (GjZ)
Film details
Country of production
France
Year
1991
Festival edition
IFFR 2006
Length
98'
Medium/Format
35mm
Language
French
Premiere status
None
Director
Philippe Garrel
Producer
Bernard Palacios, Gérard Vaugeois, Les Films de l'Atalante
Screenplay
Philippe Garrel, Marc Cholodenko, Jean-François Goyet
Cinematography
Caroline Champetier
Editing
Yann Dedet, Sophie Coussein
Principal cast
Mireille Perrier, Johanna ter Steege, Benoît Régent