BESIEGED (1998)-- Grade: B+
WARNING: YOU MAY FIND SOME SPOILERS AHEAD
What a beautiful film! Only a master as Bertolucci could capture the true essence of that story. It's a simple story of two lost souls, whose lives are like an order of facts, any of them very remarkable. A story of love, mystery, music, past memories... OR NOT? A simple story... OR NOT?
It's really difficult to define BESIEGED in words, as much as it's difficult to know what is the centerpiece of other peculiar art-house films (LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD, for example), but this doesn't take its beauty. It's an artistic film, not very recommended if you are looking for pure entertainment, but a must see if you want to think. The story revolves around the strange relationship between Shandurai, an African refugee whose husband is in jail, and Mr. Kinsky, the pianist for whom she works in Rome, in order to have a place to live and money to pay her medicine school. They seem quite distant from each other and talk very little, but he starts to send her flowers, bottles of champagne, while she suffers with constant nightmares involving her past in Africa and one local inhabitant who sings typical songs. One day Mr. Kinsky says what Shandurai already seems to know: he loves her. From then on, it's better to tell nothing more. For our luck, they don't discuss their relationship as in the American cinema, but things happen, that will make them get closer, even if they don't know that.
BESIEGED can be interpreted superficially, but of course this is not the right way. Everyone should take his/her own conclusions. The end is the epitome of everything: what if he didn't do what she thought he did, and that was just an excuse for what follows? The last 5 minutes will make you think and will enchant you. The letter, the "abrupt" conclusion (in a good way)... "Mr. Kinsky, I love you"
It's delightful to see how Bertolucci can still have ideas. After a failure with STEALING BEAUTY, a film that had no beauty indeed, he redeems himself with BESIEGED, a small, but wonderful artistic picture. It's a silent film, with few dialogues, not many characters, but beautifully filmed, with a well told, magic, bittersweet story that is not only about love. It's about our inside feelings, the things that we don't know how to express. Or not! As I said, the film has a peculiar mystery. Is Mr. Kinsky selling his paintings and even his piano for the reason we think he is? We think we know, Shandurai thinks she knows, but nobody of us knows for sure. What about her nightmares, the African singer, Mr. Kinsky's picture on a wall in one of her dreams (see that he is already on her mind)?
With very effective performances by Thandie Newton and David Thewlis, BESIEGED will not be among classics and masterpieces, but it is a small and peculiar surprise came from the mind of a master as Bertolucci. A wonderful film!
Note: I can't understand the one star Roger Ebert gave for BESIEGED. I know he may be the best film critic of the US, but I can't totally trust in a person that gives 3 and 1/2 stars for THE PERFECT STORM.
WARNING: YOU MAY FIND SOME SPOILERS AHEAD
What a beautiful film! Only a master as Bertolucci could capture the true essence of that story. It's a simple story of two lost souls, whose lives are like an order of facts, any of them very remarkable. A story of love, mystery, music, past memories... OR NOT? A simple story... OR NOT?
It's really difficult to define BESIEGED in words, as much as it's difficult to know what is the centerpiece of other peculiar art-house films (LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD, for example), but this doesn't take its beauty. It's an artistic film, not very recommended if you are looking for pure entertainment, but a must see if you want to think. The story revolves around the strange relationship between Shandurai, an African refugee whose husband is in jail, and Mr. Kinsky, the pianist for whom she works in Rome, in order to have a place to live and money to pay her medicine school. They seem quite distant from each other and talk very little, but he starts to send her flowers, bottles of champagne, while she suffers with constant nightmares involving her past in Africa and one local inhabitant who sings typical songs. One day Mr. Kinsky says what Shandurai already seems to know: he loves her. From then on, it's better to tell nothing more. For our luck, they don't discuss their relationship as in the American cinema, but things happen, that will make them get closer, even if they don't know that.
BESIEGED can be interpreted superficially, but of course this is not the right way. Everyone should take his/her own conclusions. The end is the epitome of everything: what if he didn't do what she thought he did, and that was just an excuse for what follows? The last 5 minutes will make you think and will enchant you. The letter, the "abrupt" conclusion (in a good way)... "Mr. Kinsky, I love you"
It's delightful to see how Bertolucci can still have ideas. After a failure with STEALING BEAUTY, a film that had no beauty indeed, he redeems himself with BESIEGED, a small, but wonderful artistic picture. It's a silent film, with few dialogues, not many characters, but beautifully filmed, with a well told, magic, bittersweet story that is not only about love. It's about our inside feelings, the things that we don't know how to express. Or not! As I said, the film has a peculiar mystery. Is Mr. Kinsky selling his paintings and even his piano for the reason we think he is? We think we know, Shandurai thinks she knows, but nobody of us knows for sure. What about her nightmares, the African singer, Mr. Kinsky's picture on a wall in one of her dreams (see that he is already on her mind)?
With very effective performances by Thandie Newton and David Thewlis, BESIEGED will not be among classics and masterpieces, but it is a small and peculiar surprise came from the mind of a master as Bertolucci. A wonderful film!
Note: I can't understand the one star Roger Ebert gave for BESIEGED. I know he may be the best film critic of the US, but I can't totally trust in a person that gives 3 and 1/2 stars for THE PERFECT STORM.