Gradiva

France, 2007
Original title: C'est Gradiva qui vous appelle

Director: Alain Robbe-Grillet
Starring: James Wilby, Dany Verissimo, Arielle Dombasle
IMDB: 5.3

Set in Marrakech, a beautiful and exotic location, Gradiva is a film that moves languidly in a semi-surreal dreamlike atmosphere. This is european arthouse, with stunning artfully composed visuals, and a score composed from arabic and operatic sources.

Intellectually, it does not bow to mass-market appeal and subsequently is rather unknown. It's high-brow, conceptual, surreal and artistic mixed with rampant nudity and perversion - and will appeal to a very limited number of people.

 

The word Gradiva is latin for "the one who walks" and refers to a Roman bas-relief from Pompeii of a woman who lifts the hem of her skirts to walk. The film is loosely based on a novel of the same name by Wilhelm Jensen about a man who becomes fascinated with the woman and dreams he is transported back in time to meet her. It should also be noted that Sigmund Freud famously analysed the lead character of the book in a work titled "Delusion and Dream in W. Jensen's 'Gradiva'".

It therefore comes as no surprise that the movie itself centers around dreams and delusions, and is inexplicable at times. It may well be the kind of movie that reveals deeper nuances on repeat viewings ... but it moves slowly and requires patience.

 

The story revolves around John Locke, an art historian specialising in the works of Eugene Delacroix who is living in Morocco to further his studies, and sharing his bed with his servant Belkis (former porn-star Dany Verissimo aka Ally Mactyana).

Soon he starts having visions of a waif-like blonde woman and is drawn into the company of a group of degenerates who are rather fond of whippings, bondage, and sexual slavery... and who put on shows in their freemason-like 'Club of the Golden Triangle'.

 

Drawn deeper and deeper into their influence, soon he has trouble distinguishing between dreams and reality, until all is revealed to him by Leila the 'dream actress'.

Summary

This is a fantastic surreal movie, beautifully made and with some very interesting ideas. However it is slow and ponderous and will be mainly of interest to arthouse fans.

Rating: 7/10

Screenshots - click to enlarge

Trailer

Sakuran

Japan, 2006
Director: Mika Ninagawa
Starring: Anna Tsuchiya, Kippei Shiina, Miho Kanno, Yoshino Kimura
IMDB: 6.7

Featuring popular model/singer Anna Tsuchiya (Kamikaze Girls) along with an experienced cast, music by one of my favourite J-artists Ringo Shiina, and with the preview images looking absolutely stunning, I was very much looking forward to this movie.

Unfortunately, something went wrong in the mix. I am not surprised to see that this is director Mika Ninagawa's first film, and even less surprised that she is one of Japan's most famous photographers. The visuals of the film are superb. The direction is not. But considering this is her first time out, she may well be one to watch for the future.




While sharing certain similarities with Memoirs of a Geisha, this is the story instead of the Oiran - basically prostitutes. The very best were not only very attractive, but culturally versed in the disciplines of poetry, dancing, music and calligraphy. To rise to the top and become a Tayu required a woman to be the complete package. Oirans however, were replaced by geishas in the mid 1700s, so we are looking at an older time period here.

I think the thing that jarred for me was that the whole film didn't feel like a period piece. Casting young actors and featuring a contemporary soundtrack didn't help, but maybe in the hands of a more experienced director and lead actress it could have worked. Anna Tsuchiya just wasn't up to the task of providing the strong, nuanced and classy performance that the role required. She came off as exactly what she is - a hip, young, modern woman pasted into a period setting.




The super-saturated cinematography was very stylish, highlighting the stunningly colourful sets and costumes that all but popped from the screen. Once again, however, this didn't seem to fit with the overall aesthetic of what is essentially a period drama - even considering that the film is based upon a manga.

Overall, this film will not be remembered as a classic, but for the stylish cinematography, interiors and costumes it is worth a watch, and an interesting take on a certain period and culture of Japanese history.

Rating: 6/10

Trailer