REVIEW of film: “CERTIFIED COPY” [ = Report # 13 re 46th CIFF ]

2010, 10-01:

REVIEW of film: “CERTIFIED COPY”  [ = Report # 13 re 46^th CIFF ]

       

            REPORT # 13 on the 2010  46^th CHICAGO INT’L FILM FESTIVAL =     

This is the new film by Director ABBAS KIAROSTAMI that won star JULIETTE BINOCHE the Best Actress award at the CANNES Film Festival…

…  Some films are what I call mainly “ACTING EXERCISES”.  By that I mean, the major actors may have taken their parts because they can do a good job at “biting into” their roles, & yet the film as a WHOLE may well not be all that “ENJOYABLE” for audiences (or, at least to this one)...

...  As an example, I give you Julia Roberts’ role in “EAT PRAY LOVE”.  Sadly, I found this NEW French movie in the SAME “category” (of “acting EXERCISES”) as far as I was concerned:

…  JULIETTE BINOCHE is a gallery owner / antique dealer named Elle.  She (a single parent living in Italy) takes her 12-ish son to a lecture being given by a famous British author named James Miller (WILLIAM SHIMELL) who was promoting his book “CERTIFIED COPY” (“Copie Conforme” in French)...

...  The book & lecture concern whether copies of things are as “good” or as worthwile as the “ORIGINAL” (& the various “levels” of copy quality levels such as in antiques)…

…  At one point, she invites author William to her home (which is also her “shop”) filled with antiques & “copies” of them, to in-effect get his “opinion” of what she has.  A great deal of time is spent discussing & arguing the subject of “artistic originals” & the like...

...  All-in-all, she seems to have a “NEED” for people to AGREE with her, & becomes a bit “weird” if they don’t…

…  To me, a lot of their “positions” on the subject quickly become dry & BORING, rehashed over & over again in various not-very-interesting “forms” (with him expounding on how it might be better to get a good COPY rather than wasting time with originals, etc.)…  The film may well be mainly about the artifices of the PEOPLE highlighted in it, rather than in tangible “objects”…

…  For some reason, William agrees to join her on an outing into the Italian countryside, where she wants to show him some more examples of “originals” & copies in a small town (to sort of “convince” him of her positions)… 

...  The Fest Schedule states that “Their banter… is filled with FLIRTATION…” --  but I think that description of their communication is overly “generous”:   to me, it was often vacuous & suffused with trying to “impress” each other with false “sophistication” (mainly on William’s part)…

…  Altho the Schedule says “the nature of their relationship becomes ambiguous when an honest MISUNDERSTANDING—” arises, to me, Juliette was clearly WORKING to give people the impression that she & William were a MARRIED couple (rather than there being much of any real in-depth “misinterpretation”)…

…  Juliette (to me) appears to live in a “DREAM WORLD” of considerable UN-reality at times.  She goes out of her way to TELL people they supposedly had been married for “15 years”, wants them to be included in photos of a young couple about to BE married, and so on… 

…  For some reason, William bit-by-bit starts to go “ALONG” with her charade, even when they’re talking just between themselves.  I saw no logical “PURPOSE” to their “married couple” discussions;  it was like an exercise in trying to exhibit intellectual “superiority”...

...  Juliette keeps trying to “convince” him to do things as a “married” couple, & becomes “bizarre” when he keeps FIGHTING her ideas…    

…  In the midst of their “role-playing” as a “couple”, they continue their vapid discussions of things like “FAKE jewelry is as good as ORIGINALS”, talk about their “anniversary”, etc.  Their discussions are (to use a line in the film) “intentionally AIMLESS”, & I found it hard to get very “invested” in their meaningless debates...

...  (Maybe the director WANTED the audience to be fed up?...  If so, he succeeded brilliantly in my case!…)

…  At one point, William expounds on his belief that “the whole PURPOSE of life is to have PLEASURE”, & Juliette (typically) disagrees with that & starts more “circular” discussions on that subject… 

...  Juliette enlists an elderly tourist couple to try to convince William that she’s right that a statue in the square is great because the woman in it is laying her head on the man’s shoulder…  It’s all so massively UNIMPORTANT & frequently uninteresting overall!...

…  The poster for the film describes it as “An original LOVE story.”  To me, there’s almost NO real love in this film, outside of possibly some SELF-love (mainly on the part of William’s character)!...

…  Juliette does indeed give a FINE acting performance, as a somewhat flighty, OBSESSED woman.  But (as you may well tell from my previous comments), I was quite DISAPPOINTED in the movie on the whole, NOT enjoying it as an “overall” experience.  For the acting, I’ll rate it a 7 out of 10 stars…

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