Rating of
2.5/4
Mainly A Performance Piece
Unknown - wrote on 07/21/15
It's hard to find criticisms for a movie like 'Clouds of Sils Maria', due to the fact that I don't have many feelings on it. This is a normal drama dealing with the personal life of an acclaimed actress. We see the actress, and her assistant, deal with the death of a longtime friend, which eventually leads to the resurfacing of her most famous stage work. This eventually leads to her starring in a remake of said play, but taking on the opposite co-lead role she had previously. In between these two events is a bunch of meandering that is ultimately a standard character piece. There's great focus on the working relationship with her assistant. Binoche and Stewart are great together in these scenes. Everything evolves slowly and with a strong air of realism. Writing, direction, and acting are all handled with much importance. I can't fathom why my investment was so low. It just felt like the main purpose of making the film was to have something for the greatly talented Binoche to show off in. If you're into watching movies just for performances, then it's a definite watch.
