La Plage, first feature film by Ukrainian director Sergii Tkachenko, is an esthetically crafted arthouse movie that portrays two same-sex couples who experience an unexpected adventure in the melancholic scenery of Northern France.
My first impression of the movie is astoundingly good, since I have been waiting for it for so long. I really appreciated the gloomy mood of some scenes that were relevant to the plot. As regards the acting performance, Raphaël Say as Vincent did the best job of the four protagonists, with his laid-back and light-hearted character. However, no matter which actor, when there are a lot of strong emotions in a scene, the acting seems a bit unnatural.
In my honest opinion, the cinematographic elements were far better implemented than the plot. I am actually disappointed by the eventual flatness of the plot. The last scenes were too abrupt to me although I have to admit that I prefer clear and closed endings, like in La Plage, rather than totally open and unclear endings.
What I really like about this movie is the atmosphere, this mix of tension and calmness. I love the color schemes that are present in some scenes (blue for melancholy in the beach scenes; red for passion in the love/party scene; green for hope in the garden scenes). The only thing that bothered me a bit was that some of the shots were too long and some cuts were a bit too abrupt. Nevertheless, the choice of music is very fitting, especially the energetic songs by Mazhora. Not to forget that nice little leitmotiv that basically consists of three piano notes and is played time after time throughout the video in different variations Currently, "La Plage" is only available via the streaming service "Fixer Premiere" but I really hope that one day, this movie will be shown at cinemas as well, in order to get a bigger reach and more reviews.
My overall impression: A beautiful film that gives me a lot of food for thought and that I have watched and will still watch several times, in order to figure out more details. Sergii Tkachenko and his crew did a noteworthy job.
My first impression of the movie is astoundingly good, since I have been waiting for it for so long. I really appreciated the gloomy mood of some scenes that were relevant to the plot. As regards the acting performance, Raphaël Say as Vincent did the best job of the four protagonists, with his laid-back and light-hearted character. However, no matter which actor, when there are a lot of strong emotions in a scene, the acting seems a bit unnatural.
In my honest opinion, the cinematographic elements were far better implemented than the plot. I am actually disappointed by the eventual flatness of the plot. The last scenes were too abrupt to me although I have to admit that I prefer clear and closed endings, like in La Plage, rather than totally open and unclear endings.
What I really like about this movie is the atmosphere, this mix of tension and calmness. I love the color schemes that are present in some scenes (blue for melancholy in the beach scenes; red for passion in the love/party scene; green for hope in the garden scenes). The only thing that bothered me a bit was that some of the shots were too long and some cuts were a bit too abrupt. Nevertheless, the choice of music is very fitting, especially the energetic songs by Mazhora. Not to forget that nice little leitmotiv that basically consists of three piano notes and is played time after time throughout the video in different variations Currently, "La Plage" is only available via the streaming service "Fixer Premiere" but I really hope that one day, this movie will be shown at cinemas as well, in order to get a bigger reach and more reviews.
My overall impression: A beautiful film that gives me a lot of food for thought and that I have watched and will still watch several times, in order to figure out more details. Sergii Tkachenko and his crew did a noteworthy job.
