Nenette + Boni

French director Claire Denis makes exquisitely lush and haunting movies that are invariably maddeningly opaque--I'll gladly pay a double sawbuck to anybody who can provide me with a rational explanation for the two laughing helicopter pilots at the beginning of her 1995 film I Can't Sleep, for example. Her latest concerns a highly dysfunctional brother-sister relationship (the title characters), and again certain scenes and moments seem willfully, perversely obscure--it's ultimately unclear whether one of the film's most dramatic actions actually takes place in the film's "real world," and this is not the kind of teasing, playful picture that benefits from that degree of ambiguity (as, say, Bunuel's classic Belle de Jour is). The lead actors (Gregoire Colin as Boni and newcomer Alice Houri as Nenette) are first-rate, however, and Denis' visual sense and psychological acuity are breathtaking. Recommended. (M D'Angelo)[DVD Review—Apr. 28, 2009—Strand, 103 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, $24.99—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1996's Nenette + Boni sports a good transfer, but no extras aside from trailers. Bottom line: although extra-less, this intriguing film still makes a welcome debut on DVD.]