Jonah Who Will Be 25 In The Year 2000

Stars: Jean-Luc Bideau, Myriam Meziere, Miou-Miou (Entre Nous, La Lectrice, May Fools). From the director of the pretentious-on-a-stick In The White City (reviewed in the July issue), this earlier Alain Tanner film is a much more amiable look at a group of eight refugees from the 1960s whose ideals are still more or less intact (even if the rest of the country is barreling down the personal wealth and self-fulfillment highway). Character is all and, admittedly, there are a few interesting ones here: Marie, a grocery clerk who steals food and takes it upon herself to undercharge older shoppers; Marco, a history teacher whose loopy explanation of the cycles of time using links of blood sausage is the best scene in the film; Marcel, an animal lover who likes to regale his dinner guests with detailed information about, say, the tick; and Marguerite, a Tantric love devotee. While little in the way of plot is offered here, the characters are mostly fun (though also sometimes depressingly 60s). The only big drawback is the totally pointless "art" touch of showing the character's black & white symbol-laden daydreams. Audience: Foreign film fans will enjoy this very talky, fairly cerebral, European The Big Chill. Note: The back cover carries a "Premiere Recommends" sticker.