Bastards

France   Vincent Lindon   d/ Claire Denis

Denis has been one of the most intriguing directors working in France for over twenty years. Her Chocolat remains one of the best examinations of the French colonial experience. She has worked before with Lindon and gave us Vendredi Soir.

So what went wrong here? Lindon was his usual competent self...but the film's near-total lack of exposition made him a blank. An hour in I went to the net to find out what this film was ostensibly about. And the summary I read was never made clear during the film.

This was coupled with dark, enigmatic scenes whose purpose was seemingly to further obscure the story.

Note to Denis: you have to get your audience to care about your story, your characters, something. Artsy compositions and lighting are fine as long as you've drawn us in. If you haven't...you've failed.

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