Trying to successfully cram the high- and lowlights of a 40-plus-year relationship into a compelling two-hour movie is not easy. But the French writing and acting team of Nicolas Bedos and Doria Tillier make a valiant attempt to do just this, exploring the on-again-off-again obsessive-compulsive relationship between novelist Victor (Bedos) and gifted Sorbonne PhD Sarah (Tillier). The film begins in the early 1970s when both are struggling to make their way out of stifling bohemianism into professional life. Victor develops from a pretentious Camus imitator to a serious novelist in adulthood, while the suggestion is that Sarah is his unofficial editor and, at times, ghostwriter. After raising a couple of horrible kids, the two make a habit of going their separate ways before always managing to find each other again. Victor becomes the quintessential eccentric self-indulgent novelist, while Sarah ultimately makes a fortune as a software designer. But once Victor becomes old and feeble-minded, Sarah has to make a fateful decision. While the film often feels scattershot, and sometimes the moral and emotional transformations of Sarah and Victor seem far-fetched, this is an interesting character study, overall. A strong optional purchase. (M. Sandlin)
Monsieur & Madame Adelman
Icarus, 120 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $26.99 Volume 34, Issue 3
Monsieur & Madame Adelman
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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