173. Let The Sunshine In; (Un beau soleil intérieur); movie review

LET THE SUNSHINE IN (UN BEAU SOLEIL INTERIEUR)
Cert 15
95 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong sex, sex references

Ah, Juliette Binoche. Isn't she utterly dazzling? I have to confess I repeated my admiration of her so many times during Let The Sunshine In (I was sent a copy for home review) that Mrs W told me to shut up.
This may have also been because she was dropping off or was irritated by Claire Denis's film.
Yes, I am afraid we found this tale of a middle-aged woman searching for love a bit of a drag.
It sets the tone from the off with Binoche and a full-of-himself banker (not rhyming slang) involved in heaving rumpy pumpy.
It turns out the banker (Xavier Beauvois) is married and leading her on, so she also throws herself at several other men, including an actor (Nicolas Duvauchelle) and a fellow artist (Alex Descas).
Denis's film has received considerable critical acclaim but both Mrs W and I struggled to see why.
I came up with the conclusion that Binoche's character, Isabelle, might be typical of the metro artists with whom the capital-based reviewers mix.
Frankly, in the provinces, we don't tend to know let alone have much time for folk who are so self-obsessed.
For example, Isabelle, has a daughter but only seems to care about her under her own terms.
She is desperate for love but, in trying to find it, can only think of reducing herself to using her body, despite being talented and bright.
As a consequence, it can be surprising only to her that some of her men tend to be jerks.
Throughout the movie, I was wondering when Gerard Depardieu was going to appear - it transpires he contributes the entire final ten minutes with a monologue which drones over the closing credits.
One review has described this film as being quintessentially French.
Really? Is it typically French for women to be desperate not to show off their intellect but to pander to unstable men?
If so, I feel sorry for them. It certainly doesn't make very entertaining viewing.

Reasons to watch: Juliette Binoche dazzles
Reasons to avoid: Unlikable characters and a dull storyline

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 4.5/10

Director quote - Claire Denis: "Someone who has not experienced being hurt by love, for me, is not a real human. They are just a machine, you know.”

The big question - Are love and lust the same or can they be separated?

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