Stay Charged: French Film

It's been a full week since I last updated you with ways to stay charged and for a lame reason, I've been really busy. In the few moments I've had to relax I've been watching a couple amazing films. Films that truly blew me away. I guess the surprised me because I didn't want to watch them. Sometimes a brainless film can be the best way to go when you just want to relax. But these films took me to places I had never explored before.

I'm not going to write reviews on the films so don 't expect that. Instead I want to focus on why I didn't want to watch them. I say that now after watching them. But why wouldn't I want to watch these three. I had heard of them and seen the marketing and to be honest I wasn't impressed. They looked like your typical art house film and although I like those films, these just didn't grab me.

The Dreamers came out a while ago and it was directed by the famous Bernardo Bertolucci. I heard it was an ode to French and 20s - 40s cinema. I know nothing about that period and I hate films that reference all these famous moments in film because then a feel like an idiot. That and the fact it was a story about a young threesom two guys and a girl. You'd think that would interest me, but no, not really. I did hear and see in the posters that it had three really good actors playing the parts. But how many times have we seen a crap story with good actors. Only to find that you'll never get that time back.

Well I can tell you this, it's amazing. All the concerns I had were unfounded and the story and acting is superb. Eva Green is fearless and all three take risks for these three characters. It's basically three kids who like the local flicks and create a world for themselves that is truly innocent.

I hink the mistake was entirely the marketing. The posters speaks true to the nature of the film. But they should have focussed on Eva Green. Again, she is amazing.

The Science of Sleep by another great, Michel Gondry. I absolutely loved Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind so why wouldn't I be interested in this? I knew it would be really inventive and different. I think it was the fact that it was set in France and there weren't any actors that I was familiar with. That and the abstract nature of the story really didn't appeal to me.

Once again I was floored. He took me into a world where dreams are an exciting thing. The texture and creativity that this film bring is amazing. The next day I found myself seeing things just a little differently. It made me realize how the days actions effect my subconscious and determine the mood I'll be in the next day. I don't like to go to sleep and for the first time I realized that I missing out.

I don't know what they could have done differently to market this film? Perhaps since the story is a half and half perhaps they should have focussed on both world and not just the dreaming part with the toy horse?

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Julian Schnabel. My third french movie and the one that was most haunting. I new nothing about this film except that the guy who made it is a great artist and always where's pajamas. I think I saw this as a big art house film that might be good but like the others above I didn't want to waste my time.

How wrong I was. The story communicates on so many levels and you really really get into the head of the main character who is totally paralyzed. All he has is his left eye and his thoughts. It doesn't take you into imaginative worlds like The Science of Sleep. Instead you live in his harsh reality and to make it worse it's a true story. To compound it more he manages to write a book about what it's like for him and what he has to overcome each day.

I think it was the not knowing anything about this and the really bad marketing that made me uninterested in this film. A real shame because I wish I had seen this on the big screen. Amazing film that'll make you appreciate everything about your life.

I guarantee that any of these films will inspire you in different ways and I'm really happy that a friend suggested them to me.