'Last Summer' Review: Catherine Breillat's ScandalCourting Drama Draws Yawns
© Provided by TheWrapThere's something to ponder on last summer's extravaganza: "Can a movie without a lot of sparkle really shine?" Such thoughts loomed over the minds of many at this year's Cannes Film Festival, where Catherine Brillat's sinister rape drama raised yawns.
Last summer arrived in Cannes with high expectations: Breuil's first film in a decade and a remake of May El Touka's Queen of Hearts, and moviegoers were eagerly awaiting Breuil's sequel to 2013's Abuse of Weakness. In the image of Venn A, the journalists who reviewed and praised this 2019 Danish drama, perhaps the entire palace fits.
Like a version of the song that uses the same notes but changes key, "Last Summer" follows a well-known juvenile lawyer with his teenage protégé. The attorney here is Ann (Leah Drucker, of the defence), a disaffected mother of two who makes life easier on Amalie with her wine problems. She may call herself an "aging lover" after falling in love with her husband in the '60s, praising Pierre (Olivier Rabourdin) for his "living body that has lost the strength of youth," but when Pierre is in trouble, her eyes speak a different language. Soon Theo (Samuel Kircher) is here to stay.
Like the original, Last Summer hinted at Anna herself falling prey to an adult predator when she was younger than Pierre, but Breuille has little use for such a disease. He loves the word "cyclical" and "predatory". In fact, the main reformer of French cinema is to avoid the psychological aspect altogether, focusing instead on the physical expression of desire. Anna's face and body moved in the same way as it did a few minutes ago, when Pierre took a plate of lasagna and a glass, and proceeded to act in a different way when the boy took his place.
Of course, preparing for that first meeting involves a long period of pushing, prodding, teasing, and stretching. At least the single adult in the situation - and knowingly knowing the true legal status of this type of relationship - does nothing for the child's development. Breya's camera loves to zoom in, often allowing long scenes to be played into continuous close-ups as Lust takes the logical steps after this frantic dance.
Only Breuil doesn't really have that many other levels, and once they're both in a mutual embrace, the movie has nowhere to go. The narrative hits the mark, following the same path (with notable differences) as the first film, but the director's tactical dialogue only works in a small part. Anna is not just a carrier of great powers; The character also makes decisions and moves the action forward in a way that Breuil's hatred of inner life never tries to comprehend.
Well-played by a cast designed to admirably portray conflicting motivations and plotting along current lines, Last Summer is as irreverent as its storytelling demands insight into the inner lives of its characters. From time to time, Breillat stops at one or two articles (including the one that's always at the beginning of this review, because that says it all, right?), but his film is quite on hand when it needs another level or nuance. Like the character, the movie never leaves the earth and bothers you. This is done primarily through activities.
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