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"A Band Apart"
THE DREAMERS
RATING: B-
Starring:
Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Robin Renucci, Anna Chancellor.
Costume Designer Louis Stjernsward, Production Designer Jean Rabasse,
Editor Jacopo Quadri, Director of Photographer Fabio Cianchetti,
Associate Producers Hercules Bellville, Peter Watson, Screenplay
by Gilbert Adair based on his novel, Produced by Jeremy Thomas,
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.
Rated NC-17, Running Time 115 mins., 1.85:1
Academy Standard Aspect Ratio.
After a five year absence from cinema,
acclaimed director Bernardo Bertolucci returns with "The
Dreamers" his first film of the 21st century that takes us
back to the innocent years of the mid 20th. Michael Pitt stars
as Matthew, an American college student who escapes from his mundane
existence to Paris, France. It's 1968 and Matthew finds himself
absorbed in the world of the Cinémathéque. He's
an avid reader of Cahiers du cinéma and constant visitor
of the Palais de Chaillot, the cinephile's Mecca, a palace like
cinema where founder Henri Langlois unspooled the glories of film
to generations of Parisians and helped give birth to "The
New Wave."
 It
is also a time of political turmoil, when the Parisian military
police often confronted students or radicals rioting against the
Vietnam war or artistic censorship. During a political demonstration
Matthew meets Theo (Louis Garrel) and his hypnotically alluring
twin sister Isabelle (Eva Green), who has chained herself to the
gates of the Cinémathéque francaise. Matthew discovers
that these siblings have a passion for cinema much like himself,
so strong in fact that they often play mind games involving films.
With their French father (Robin Renucci) and British mother (Anna
Chancellor) away on vacation, Theo and Isabelle decide to invite
Matthew to stay with them in their apartment in the bohemian district
of St. Germain.
Soon, Matthew discovers the unique relationship
that this brother and sister share, how they are Siamese twins
"of the mind" and just how far they're willing to go
with their games of the mind and sexual experimentation. As Matthew
develops a sexual relationship with Isabelle and an intellectual
one with Theo, he falls in love with the two of them as if they
were two halves of the same person. But they can't stay locked
away in an apartment from the real world forever and must soon
emerge to discover individuality and adulthood.
 "The
Dreamers" appears to be Bertolucci's love letter to cinema
and the Paris of his youth and at the same time he wants to take
us down controversial territory that may seem familiar to fans
of "Last Tango In Paris." The film is a bit uneven at
times as the three main characters discuss politics at one moment
and are embarking on a cinema guessing game the next. A game that
eventually becomes annoying. Bertolucci is like a candy store
owner who wants to offer us a sample of everything and doesn't
realize that too much can leave a sour taste. We're constantly
bombarded with images from classic films like Goddard's "Breathless"
Tod Browning's "Freaks" ("We accept you, one of
us!") Garbo in "Queen Christina" and George Raft
in "Scarface". Reciting dialogue and re-enacting scenes
from classic films are apparently part of Theo and Isabelle's
day to day existence. It's effective because it shows how out
of touch with real life these "children" are. Probably
the most ingenious piece of footage is the incorporation of the
infamous race through the Louvre in Godard's "Bande A Part"
as Matthew, Isabele and Theo try to beat the record set in the
film.
 The
film's greatest appeal is in fact its three leads. Michael Pitt
(who usually has a mysterious androgenous look about him) has
taken a step up from playing the clueless pot-smoking killer in
Larry Clark's "Bully" and the naive object of John Cameron
Mitchell's affections in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch."
His character is the more experienced of the three and he tries
to steer them to the realization that if Theo and Isabelle don't
stand apart (bathing and sleeping in the same bed together is
their biggest problem) they'll never grow. It's a performance
full of intelligence and maturity that I've never seen in Pitt
before or felt that he had. Louis Garrel, the son of 60's film-maker
Phillipe Garrel and grandson of actor Maurice Garrel adds a little
mystery to his performance as Theo. He appears to be a friend
to Matthew, but without speaking we can sense his growing apprehension
towards Matthew and Isabelle's budding relationship and he projects
that wonderfully.
 The
true discovery of the film without a doubt is the lovely Eva Green
as Isabele, in her first feature role. This theatrically trained
actress has dived head first into this role which exposes her
to the audience in more ways than one. If this were an American
production Matthew's response to their first encounter would undoubtedly
be "You had me at hello." I don't think I've seen such
a powerful and intimidating set of eyes on a female in America
or anywhere for such a long time. It's almost as if this ingenue
has stepped out from the time period the film is set in and is
ready to take her place amongst classic screen goddesses like
Garbo, Dietrich and Denueve. And that's just her physical beauty,
her most powerful tool is the intelligence she projects within
her acting.
As for the sexual situations,
well, I'll readily admit that there is a certain appeal to seeing
talented young and fully nude actors simulating sex on camera,
but at times I felt it to be a bit distracting and uncomfortable.
Some of the situations stem from the penalties of their trivia
games which range from Isabelle forcing her brother to masturbate
to his Marlene Dietrich photo, to a character painfully and passionately
losing their virginity. I understand what Bertolucci is trying
to do and applaud the fact that the film isn't being censored.
He wants to drop us in the middle of the last innocent period
of society's history, what it was like to be young and on the
road to self discovery, free to experiment and experience without
considering the consequences. That's a road you only get one shot
at taking and film-makers often try to relive it with every project
they get.
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