Paris, je t'aime

This film is indeed a step away from the norm; a series of 18 short films dedicated to the City of Lights. Since the stories have little to no connection between them, I felt it best to take a look at them separately before looking at the film as a whole.

MONTMARTRE (Bruno Podalydes) – The film starts out on a decidedly sour note, when the segment dedicated to the land of AMELIE and Baz Luhrmann’s MOULIN ROUGE should be anything but. A drab and lifeless introduction, Podalydes brings nothing particularly memorable to his segment; merely a crabby man and a woman who tends to faint. Quite unfortunate that the film begins with one of the weakest segments.

*1/2

QUAIS DE SIENE (Gurinder Chada) – Chada’s segment, briefly studying race relations in Paris, keeps the film at a monotonous, waiting-for-something-to-happen pace. This segment fares better, however, based off the likeability and chemistry between its two young stars, Leila Bekhti and Cyril Descours. The little bits of philosophy and commentary thrown in the segment feel worn and tired as well.

**1/2

LE MARAIS (Gus Van Sant) – This segment feels more like a failed improv exercise than anything else. The majority of the piece is a one-man monologue delivered by Gaspard Ulliel, who despite his dynamic screen presence cannot manage to make his speech remotely involving. In the end, his lines feel like failed conversation starters with his acting partner tied together by a loose introduction.

**

TUILERIES (The Coen Brothers) – This is where the film finally breaks out of the monotonous and delivers something truly memorable. The Coen brothers, along with Steve Buscemi, give the film one of its very few laugh-out-loud segments about a dazed American tourist waiting for a subway train. The subtle Coen Brothers touches are all there (the dark humor, the visual motifs, etc.) and the heightened sense of reality in the golden subway station is a welcome change of pace from the first parts.

***

LION DE 16E (Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas) – The shortest film in the collection is also one of the most memorable, thanks almost exclusively to the performance of Catalina Sandino Moreno. A brief portrait of a single working mother, Moreno manages to convey a world of emotions through singing a song for children only twice.

***

PORTE DE CHOISY (Christopher Doyle) – Doyle’s contribution is a frenzied, confusing mess. Nearly all sense of coherence is lost in the loud and bombastic repetition of images. While they are dynamic images that play off of a sense of celebrity, the segment ultimately feels too glossy, shallow and empty.

*1/2

BASTILLE (Isabelle Coixet) – Coixet’s film is a bittersweet picture of dying love. What seems to be one man’s departure from his wife and everything he knows turns into a touching and sentimental examination of what love means when stripped bare of everything else. Sergio Castellitto and Miranda Richardson both give silent, affecting performances that make the segment ring true.

***

PLACE DES VICTOIRES (Nobuhiro Suwa) – A showcase for Juliette Binoche, never in finer form. As a mother grieving her young son’s recent death, Binoche manages to craft a portrayal in mere minutes that is comparable to her finest performances elsewhere. While vaguely similar to her work in the Three Colors trilogy, Binoche is still completely heartbreaking and gives the most memorable performance of the entire film.

***1/2

TOUR EIFFEL (Sylvain Chomet) – Following the heaviest film is the lightest and most whimsical. Some will see the story of a modern day mime as forced and tiring, while others will be charmed by it. Regardless, this segment is likely to be one of the most memorable, due to its noticeable heightened realistic state. It is designed in a way that none of the other segments are; it is the only segment that places itself firmly in a world other than our own.

***

PARC MONCEAU (Alfonso Cuaron) – Another brief oddity in the film. Cuaron creates a one-shot conversation between an elderly man (Nick Nolte) and his daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) with an unexpected pay-off at the end. A bit sweet and a bit sentimental, but nothing beyond that.

**1/2

QUARTIER DES ENFANTS ROUGES (Olivier Assayas) – Maggie Gyllenhaal as an actress on location in Paris. Another ultimately unmemorable addition to the film, as Gyllenhaal’s hints at a romance leave the viewer unsatisfied.

**

PLACES DES FETES (Oliver Schmitz) – Perhaps the most emotionally devastating of the segments, aside from Suwa’s contribution. The section is successful mainly because of the committed performances from Aissa Maiga and Seydou Boro, the former in particular. Their strength lifts the segment from a slightly unsettling trifle to an effecting and genuinely tragic piece of unfulfilled love.

***1/2

PIGALLE (Richard LaGravenese) – A sweet and quirky romance with Bob Hoskins and Fanny Ardant. The script throws several twists at the viewer which never really resonates, but the actors shine in their roles and give the segment its charm.

***

QUARTIER DE LA MADELEINE (Vincenzo Natali) – Probably the most recognizable of all the films, as it studies Paris’s apparent problem with vampires. Heavily gothic to an almost annoying level, the film maintains a sense of dark comedy that keeps it from becoming a complete failure. Completely removed from reality, like Chomet’s film, but this segment has nothing below its glossy cover.

**1/2

PERE-LACHAISE (Wes Craven) – An unusual effort, given the director. Another offering that is merely sweet, with Emily Mortimer as its saving grace. A bit of a disappointment, as one would expect something more noticeable from a director like Craven.

**1/2

FAUBOURG SAINT-DENIS (Tom Tykwer) – Tykwer’s film, as can be expected, is the fastest-paced of all the films, managing to include all his trademark visual cues and sound styles. An offbeat romance between Natalie Portman and Melchior Beslon, the segment ultimately arises as one of the film’s strongest.

***1/2

QUARTIER LATIN (Gerard Depardieu and Frederic Auburtin) – Witty dialogue and sharp performances by Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara make this piece, which could have easily fallen into the monotony of the weaker segments. One of the most resonant of the segments, especially the ones where marriage is concerned.

***

14E ARRONDISEMENT (Alexander Payne) – Payne’s tribute ends the film on an incredibly high note, delivering both the funniest and most touching segments. On the same playing level as Payne’s ABOUT SCHMIDT, yet he accomplishes a varying degree of emotions in such a short time. The film owes it all to Margo Martindale, who is hilarious, heartbreaking and uplifting all at once.

***1/2

In the end, PARIS, JE T’AIME is an experience more than worth having. Even the weakest segments have something of interest to offer, and never run too long to become unbearable. The segments manage to contain a steady pace and tone through them (with a few exceptions), which makes the film even more of a must see. The film never outstays its welcome, and the repeated moments of brilliance resonate with the viewer long after the film is over.

Average: 2.75
Final Grade: ***