French movies tend to be character-driven as a rule, but even those of us who admire the more freewheeling rhythms of Gallic fare can sometimes wind up feeling frustrated--especially when a movie begins with a crackerjack plot and then abruptly discards it for random philosophical noodling. The Disenchanted begins with a premise not unlike that of Nancy Savoca's Dogfight, as a young woman's obnoxious boyfriend challenges her to sleep with the ugliest man she can find. The young woman, played by Judith Godreche, agrees, and weary American viewers perk up a bit: our heroine actually has an identifiable goal. In a French movie! Of course, director Benoit Jacquot has no intention of actually sticking to this potential narrative; instead, disenchanted Beth meanders about the city, encountering various men along the way (none of them especially ugly), as the movie goes nowhere in particular. In Jacquot's A Single Girl (1996), the emphasis on the protagonists's mundane duties as a hotel clerk and the use of real time created a bizarre but palpable tension; here, in this earlier work (made in 1990 but released in the U.S. last year), while each individual scene is compelling, the end result leaves you feeling somewhat...well, you know. Optional. (M. D'Angelo)
The Disenchanted
(First Run, 75 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated) Vol. 14, Issue 2
The Disenchanted
Star Ratings
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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