Our protagonist, Jerome, returns to his vacation home to sell it. There, he runs into an old acquaintance, Aurora--a writer who asks him to get involved with a teenage girl, Laura, so that she can get material for her writing. The premise is interesting but his relationship with the girl offers little worth writing about or filming.
Then Jerome meets Laura's step-sister, Claire, and becomes fascinated with her knee. This is an even more interesting idea, but again the result of his fascination is less than fascinating.
"Clare's Knee" is one of Eric Rohmer's "six moral tales". Some might find moral issues within this story, but I think it deals more with philosophical speculation. Jerome and Aurora--in what I see as a particularly French approach to film--pontificate on and speculate about the best way to deal with young lovers and the value of such relationships. It is little more than discussing the best way to bake a ham. And while it might be self-indulgent, the greater sin is its boring quality.
This is Jerome's story. Ninety-five percent of the film centers on him. If he were to exhibit passion or obsession, then the viewer might find the emotions within this story. But he and Aurora clinically dissect the action and, worse yet, the director does not give us a gateway into his emotions. This is not "Lolita", where Humbert would have us understand his obsession with a knee.
In the end, we find that Jerome really understood little about anything. The quality of the photography is enjoyable, but it can't make up for the unartistic nature of this film. Some have called this film "warm" and "sensual". I found it to be neither.
Then Jerome meets Laura's step-sister, Claire, and becomes fascinated with her knee. This is an even more interesting idea, but again the result of his fascination is less than fascinating.
"Clare's Knee" is one of Eric Rohmer's "six moral tales". Some might find moral issues within this story, but I think it deals more with philosophical speculation. Jerome and Aurora--in what I see as a particularly French approach to film--pontificate on and speculate about the best way to deal with young lovers and the value of such relationships. It is little more than discussing the best way to bake a ham. And while it might be self-indulgent, the greater sin is its boring quality.
This is Jerome's story. Ninety-five percent of the film centers on him. If he were to exhibit passion or obsession, then the viewer might find the emotions within this story. But he and Aurora clinically dissect the action and, worse yet, the director does not give us a gateway into his emotions. This is not "Lolita", where Humbert would have us understand his obsession with a knee.
In the end, we find that Jerome really understood little about anything. The quality of the photography is enjoyable, but it can't make up for the unartistic nature of this film. Some have called this film "warm" and "sensual". I found it to be neither.