BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE
****
Director: Claire Denis
Screenplay: Claire Denis & Christine Angot, from a novel by Angot.
Principal cast:
Juliette Binoche
Vincent Lindon
Grégoire Colin
Bulle Ogier
Issa Perica
Alice Houri
Country: France
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 116 mins.
Australian release date: 1 September 2022.
Two tour-de-force performances make the latest film from Claire Denis, Both Sides of the Blade, a must-see event for lovers of French cinema. Denis makes a habit of examining the fragility of interpersonal relationships and how they can be upended by seemingly small events and her new movie is no exception. It’s the story of a passionate relationship that is irreparably altered by the reappearance of an ex-partner. When we first encounter this loving couple, they are on holiday in an idyllic seaside location and there’s no mistaking that they are very much in love, or rather, entranced, with each other. There is almost no dialogue between them for some minutes as they frolic and caress in the water, totally absorbed by the presence of the other; no sex takes place but it is undeniably erotic.
When Sara (a luminescent portrayal from Juliette Binoche, who seems to become ever more attractive as she ages) and Jean (incandescently played by Vincent Lindon) return to their apartment in central Paris, we learn that she is a successful radio broadcaster and he is an ex-professional rugby player who’s recently done a stint in prison and is looking for work. They’ve been together for close to 10 years and he has a son (Issa Perica) from a previous marriage, who lives with Jean’s mother (Bulle Ogier) in the outskirts of the city, and he’s trying to re-establish a connection with him. Out of the blue, his old friend and Sara’s ex, François (Grégoire Colin), calls and offers him a job. Neither Jean nor Sara have seen him in the intervening years but now he’s starting a sports agency and he wants Jean to scout talented rugby players for him. It’s work that appeals to Jean and Sara assures him that her relationship with François is ancient history, so he takes up the offer but, when Sara sees her ex-lover again, she is powerfully and emotionally overwhelmed and before long, her bond with Jean begins to unravel.
The plot of Both Sides of the Blade is adapted from a novel by Christine Angot, who co-wrote the screenplay with Denis. They’ve collaborated previously, on Denis’ 2017 film Let The Sunshine In, and they obviously work well together. Denis says, “Christine is pretty bleak and I’m more the anxious type. The collision of our torments was at times explosive. Like a battery, positive pole, negative pole, sparks flying. The writing process was lively.” The resulting script also has lots of fireworks! The title comes from the hauntingly beautiful theme song, written expressly for the film by Tindersticks, aka Stuart Staples (who also composed the ominous score). The lyrics say, “This is no place that you know, to be falling down both sides of the blade,” and this is the predicament in which Sara finds herself. Binoche and Lindon are extraordinary, as their characters’ amorous connection morphs from warm-slash-hot to positively frigid. It’s a delight to see these two great actors go head-to-head on-screen for the first time. Colin is also terrific in a smaller role but one that provides the spark to the incendiary clash of the action.
Denis won the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin Film Festival 2022 for Both Sides of the Blade and her direction is exemplary, significantly aided by Eric Gautier’s excellent cinematography, which makes a positive out of the close-quarter environment of Jean and Sara’s fairly small apartment. But it’s the performances that make her new film such a pleasure.
Screenplay: Claire Denis & Christine Angot, from a novel by Angot.
Principal cast:
Juliette Binoche
Vincent Lindon
Grégoire Colin
Bulle Ogier
Issa Perica
Alice Houri
Country: France
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 116 mins.
Australian release date: 1 September 2022.
Two tour-de-force performances make the latest film from Claire Denis, Both Sides of the Blade, a must-see event for lovers of French cinema. Denis makes a habit of examining the fragility of interpersonal relationships and how they can be upended by seemingly small events and her new movie is no exception. It’s the story of a passionate relationship that is irreparably altered by the reappearance of an ex-partner. When we first encounter this loving couple, they are on holiday in an idyllic seaside location and there’s no mistaking that they are very much in love, or rather, entranced, with each other. There is almost no dialogue between them for some minutes as they frolic and caress in the water, totally absorbed by the presence of the other; no sex takes place but it is undeniably erotic.
When Sara (a luminescent portrayal from Juliette Binoche, who seems to become ever more attractive as she ages) and Jean (incandescently played by Vincent Lindon) return to their apartment in central Paris, we learn that she is a successful radio broadcaster and he is an ex-professional rugby player who’s recently done a stint in prison and is looking for work. They’ve been together for close to 10 years and he has a son (Issa Perica) from a previous marriage, who lives with Jean’s mother (Bulle Ogier) in the outskirts of the city, and he’s trying to re-establish a connection with him. Out of the blue, his old friend and Sara’s ex, François (Grégoire Colin), calls and offers him a job. Neither Jean nor Sara have seen him in the intervening years but now he’s starting a sports agency and he wants Jean to scout talented rugby players for him. It’s work that appeals to Jean and Sara assures him that her relationship with François is ancient history, so he takes up the offer but, when Sara sees her ex-lover again, she is powerfully and emotionally overwhelmed and before long, her bond with Jean begins to unravel.
The plot of Both Sides of the Blade is adapted from a novel by Christine Angot, who co-wrote the screenplay with Denis. They’ve collaborated previously, on Denis’ 2017 film Let The Sunshine In, and they obviously work well together. Denis says, “Christine is pretty bleak and I’m more the anxious type. The collision of our torments was at times explosive. Like a battery, positive pole, negative pole, sparks flying. The writing process was lively.” The resulting script also has lots of fireworks! The title comes from the hauntingly beautiful theme song, written expressly for the film by Tindersticks, aka Stuart Staples (who also composed the ominous score). The lyrics say, “This is no place that you know, to be falling down both sides of the blade,” and this is the predicament in which Sara finds herself. Binoche and Lindon are extraordinary, as their characters’ amorous connection morphs from warm-slash-hot to positively frigid. It’s a delight to see these two great actors go head-to-head on-screen for the first time. Colin is also terrific in a smaller role but one that provides the spark to the incendiary clash of the action.
Denis won the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin Film Festival 2022 for Both Sides of the Blade and her direction is exemplary, significantly aided by Eric Gautier’s excellent cinematography, which makes a positive out of the close-quarter environment of Jean and Sara’s fairly small apartment. But it’s the performances that make her new film such a pleasure.