Country: France / Germany
Review: Though this film did not work for me, it was clear that 90 year-old filmmaker Alain Resnais still aims freshness and creativity in his work. The story starts with a group of (real) actors being informed by phone about the death of their friend Antoine D’Anthac, a talented playwright. Before the funeral, their presence was required in one of the deceased's residences, where they will be surprised by a video recording of D'Anthac's play “Eurydice” performed by a group of young actors. This play had been performed before by Antoine's friends, who became so involved that they started to perform it again, recreating Orpheus and Eurydice from other times. Sabine Azéma and Pierre Arditi formed the oldest couple, while Anne Consigny and Lambert Wilson formed the middle-aged one. Therefore, we can follow three different generations performing exactly the same play. This odd meeting filled with nostalgia and theatrical approach wasn’t much appealing to me. It seemed to last forever and I didn’t find it particularly interesting to follow. The end reserves some surprises, but the film isn’t more than a stagy intellectual prank that for long periods of time becomes painful to watch. With masterpieces such as “Marienbad” or “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, Resnais doesn’t have to fear not being remembered. I just think this film doesn't give a valuable contribution to his career.
