Voyage en Douce

Michel Deville's 1981 feminist road movie Voyage en Douce features a screenplay constructed from episodes devised by 15 writers—all listed in the credits—strung together into a single narrative about two friends who embark on a road trip after one has left her husband and takes teary refuge with the other, who's been planning a solo trip to search for a summer house for herself, her spouse, and two precocious children. As they travel about the countryside, the women share reminiscences and fantasies, almost all of which have a strong erotic component, while alternately bonding or bickering and either berating men in general or egging on the libidos of those they meet. While there are some intriguing moments here, including a closing suggestive twist, the effort remains disconnected, with the parts contributed by different hands never cohering into a unified whole. Deville's decision to use contrasting techniques throughout—one episode is shown as a montage of stills, while another is breathlessly narrated over shots of the women strolling in the fields—merely accentuates the fragmentary character of the piece. Granted, the locations are lovely and the performances of Dominique Sanda and Geraldine Chaplin are strong, but ultimately this is a Voyage that meanders all over the map. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)