35 Rhums - Claire Denis (2008)

Let's agree it's not my kind of film. But if you read anything about this film, you're most likely to be expecting a masterpiece, I thought it might be more interesting when I rent it and everyone says great things about Claire Denis (and yes, I do have a soft spot for French films).

35 Rhums is the story of the relationship between a widowed father and his university student daughter, they share a flat and have a very close bond, almost too close bond. Almost. It's all father-daughter love.

That's it. That's all there is. I've mentioned before films that don't follow the traditional structure but might rely on the characters. Here, you know this father and daughter are very close but you don't get to know a lot of them. As if the director wanted to protect their privacy (which we can say is a bit silly). So you don't really engage on whatever is going on, you don't find that humanity, that something that makes you feel something for them and keeps you hooked to the drama. It's a bit disappointing. Something didn't work. I'll mention Mike Leigh again. In Another Year you witness these people's lives but they also touch your heart... these father and daughter aren't touching, you observe them without participating and that's not what I want from a film.

The camera work and cinematography are very nice. The pensive moments. But is that enough? Not for me anyway.


35 Shots of Rum