Frances Chung
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
petesherratt
I think that this unusual film is beautifully made but has some glaring faults. The film is basically a portrait (and this is why there is no clearly defined plot)of a young woman trying to fill her empty life with consumer goods or whatever they represent to her and voyeurism and this is something that many if not most of us do on a daily basis. Eleonore is different in that she seeks these things at the bottom of a strangers handbag. She is clearly not stealing for money as is obvious from the scene in the bar. The candid style places us in the position of voyeuristically observing her and this is interesting up to a point but clearly and editing process must have been employed and what was left out could have been more interesting than what was left in. For example, what happened to the kittens? Did she just leave them to fend for themselves when she went off to Boston or did she arrange for their safekeeping? Or did she just flush them down the toilet? I feel that it might have more interesting to have spent some time on this rather than watching her learn how to drive which many people can do quickly enough. I enjoyed the polar bear scene but I'm still not sure it belonged in the film. And so on. Her rummaging around in a strangers handbag as the owner looks on clearly represents a deterioration in her psychological condition (hence my summary) and I was left worrying about her future as a result, and there are few films that can engage me that personally when most films are so obviously signposted that they end up more as fairground rides than works of art.
tinker3006
This film was so bad I went to the trouble of registering on this site to warn others away and hoping I could at least save someone from wasting the time. The main character (Eleonore) steals a car with the help of some guy. You get to guess at the relationship because there is no discernible plot. They go to his place. She leaves. She goes to a park and sticks her hand in someone's purse. She gets arrested. Somehow without the film letting you know how, she is back on the street. I don't know what her qualifications are or how she ever got to do anything related to a film. I actually would be ashamed if I had any part in a movie this bad. A totally disjointed pointless film with lousy camera work thrown in. Nothing funny happens,no drama,no excitement.No rhyme or reason to anything in the film. A total waste of 71 minutes of my time.
rweberc
I just saw this at a university screening. After reading the reviews here, I wanted to add my response, too.I thought this film was really moving. I think it goes a little way toward helping a viewer recognize the wild grip he or she places on things or expectations, and what's more amazing is that the logic of the film allows it to do this almost solely through humor and with a light touch. Many moments in the film are not that far from Gogol's Dead Souls or Tati's Hulot in their liveliness and scope.At the very least, I'd recommend it to a friend--a thoughtful and surprising film.
Jason Cormack
I saw this film at Cannes twice and I can't seem to either get away from it or get it out of my mind. I keep thinking about the surface nature of the main character Eleonore in the beginning and throughout. But what is crazy is she knows it.It is not that she is annoying. I Think it is sad to see someone hide their true emotions. She smiles and you wonder why is she smiling, It is uncomfortable to be in the room. These are negative qualities and that is why they are on film (and yes beautiful 16 mm, finally!). They are just an exaggerated type of personality that forces us to see what we all sometimes fall victim too, too big a self-conscience.She is a great thief, but she is not really stealing. She just wants to learn more about people because she is afraid, or unwilling, to say hello in a genuine way.At times I didn't like her but so what? Film is not about feeling comfortable, it is about thinking about how you can change parts of yourself. When I didn't like her or what she is doing, I asked myself why? And that is what I liked. I liked also seeing the other people in New york who don't have her problem. Heck, there is a guy walking around saying how beautiful everything is. And wait, here we see her wonder what that life might be like. Also, when she listens to the trumpet playing, I Thought how sad, she realizes her faults. Sometimes you can't change them (Having been in therapy I should know, haha).Thanks for showing me the pains of holding back, and the beauty of letting it out.
