Reviews

Brilliant. I went to see it twice at the theatre, and I've recently added the video to my collection. Not only is American Beauty one of my favourite films of 1999, I can honestly say that it is now one of my favourite films of all time. Once in a while, a movie comes along that leaves you looking at life from a different perspective. American Beauty is one such film.

Excellent direction by Sam Mendes, inventive and hilarious script by Alan Ball, and Conrad Hall offers us a visually stunning piece of cinematic history. The performances are OUTSTANDING: Kevin Spacey once again shows us what a profound, complex talent he is in his portrayal of "everyman" Lester Burnham, Annette Bening is spectacularly neurotic and frightening as Carolyn Burnham. The bright, young actors in this film, Mena Suvari, Thora Birch and Wes Bentley offer superb depictions of teenagers with substance (a character trait which is lacking from most teenage roles these days). All five Oscars were well-deserved! I truly cannot find a single flaw in this movie! It's pure magic, pure beauty.

Yesterday, I attended a screening of this film at the Montreal World Film Festival. The director, Jérome de Missolz, presented his film as a lyrical, taboo breaking depiction of feminine sexuality: what rubbish!

La Mécanique des Femmes can only be described as a misogynous depiction of female sexuality. To make matters worse, the plot of this movie is simply non-existant, not to mention the complete lack of character development. I felt in no way connected to a single character in this ridiculous film!

I actually sat through this nonsense, hoping that it would somehow get better, or perhaps redeem itself with a brilliant ending. What was I thinking? I should have taken a cue from the 30 or so of my fellow moviegoers, who walked out of the theatre. Honestly, they were dropping like flies. I've never seen a film that was met with such obvious universal disapproval. It was disconcerting. I truly felt embarrassed for the director.

I must articulate that I was in no way offended by this film. In fact, very little offends me, as I am extremely open-minded. However, what I did feel was annoyed and cheated. I expected something profound, and instead was provided with a demonstration of just how absurd, ludicrous, blatantly laughable a film can be when somebody tries too hard, or not hard enough - depending on how you wish to look at it - to create something "insightful".

If you are interested in seeing a film that truly is a lyrical, taboo breaking depiction of feminine sexuality, allow me to recommend Romance (1999), a film written and directed by Catherine Breillat. Perhaps the fact that she actually is a WOMAN could suggest why this film, unlike Mécanique, is a pertinent reflection of the female psyche.