Starring: Michel Subor, Gregoire Colin
Directed by: Claire Denis
France/2004
130 minutes
Claire Denis' 2004 film L'Intrus is a highly impenetrable work, and probably ranks as her least accessible offering. The film follows Louis, a mysterious loner around the age of 65 or 70, who's heart problems cause him to seek out a transplant. Denis constructs the film around the fractured and diluted view of Louis's dreams, and at times, his reality. The man lives with a weighted regret that is not fully fleshed out. Louis' identity is extremely evasive, but Denis isn't particularly interested in telling his full-fledged story.
The world of L'Intrus is one of dazzling imagery, told from multiple landscapes, which no doubt tell us more about the nature of Louis. A handful of characters appear throughout L'Intrus, but we get the feeling that Louis and his son are possibly the only ones that truly matter. The title loosely eludes to a wanderer that gets killed by Louis after trespassing in his home during the early part of the film, but Denis leaves much more to be desired in terms of tracking down the titles references.
L'Intrus has the vague hint of a road picture, as Louis embarks on a sort of spiritual journey to parts of his past. Denis shuffles a deck of non-linear sequences and scenes that keep L'Intrus and its viewer at a certain distance. There are no qualms with how Denis' narrative unfolds, but the second hour of the film may test the patience for those not familiar with Denis. As enigmatic at it is, L'Intrus is perhaps easy to admire then love, but one can't deny how Denis is able to tell this story of a fractured and lost man seeking redemption through dreams, nightmares, and ultimately life.
No comments:
Post a Comment