Friday, May 27, 2005
Look at Me (2004)
Director: Agnes Jaoui
See January for: ^Closer; ^The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou;
^Finding Neverland; ^The Aviator
See February for: ^Million Dollar Baby; ^Male and Female;
^Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; ^Love; ^Sunrise; ^Ray
See March for: ^Being Julia; ^Millions
See April for: ^Melinda and Melinda
See May for: ^ Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room ^ Chinatown; ^ Born Into Brothels
*Warning the following analysis contains a discussion of the entire film – including the ending.
The French are the absolute masters of the adult romantic comedy, and Look at Me is a wonderful example of French superiority in this genre. It is film about Lolita, an ordinary and utterly insecure young woman, allowing herself to accept genuine affection from the one man in her life who cares for her. It is not clear until the final moment of the film that this is Lolita’s and Sebastien’s love-story. Director Agnes Jaoui is able to surprises us with the love story because so much more of substance is going on around Lolita and Sebastien. (Such a difference from the typical bubble-gum American romantic comedy where it may take you 10 minutes to know how the story is going to turn-out if you did not figure it out 2 weeks before when you saw the preview.) Look at Me is also about the affect of a coldly powerful, egotistical, and absolutely un-nurturing father, Cassard, on an ordinary, over-weight, and unremarkable daughter. Additionally, Look At Me is about how sudden public recognition, success and wealth effects a previously unknown, struggling and self-doubting author and his relationships.
The French are also tops at creating true to life emotional tenor in their films. Look at Me’s final moment where Lolita and Sebastien embrace and walk off into night with the promise to soon be lovers is subtle in beauty and emotion – it is simple, pure, genuine. So very different from the over-the-top endings of fireworks and wedding dresses of the American romantic comedy. It is a lovely, quiet final scene – Lolita and Sebastien walking arm in arm on the darkened trail back to the country cottage, Lolita wheeling her bike along side. Nothing more needs to be said. We know what this story has been about, we can imagine what tomorrow may be for Lolita and Sebastien yet the possibilities are numerous and uncertain.
(And perhaps we all would be better off in our relationships if we too could embrace the loveliness of today with our lovers while looking to the future for what it truly holds - equal portions of possibility and uncertainty.)
Story Synopsis:
Look at Me is a beautiful little film with a young, plain and insecure woman as its protagonist. Lolita’s low self-esteem and emotional insecurity is easy to understand once you have meet Cassard, her unbelievably egotistical and self-centered father. Cassard is a very highly respected author, publisher and intellectual who has no time for anyone but himself and gives thought to no one but himself. Cassard gives to his daughter Lolita only the smallest bits of his time and then none of his attention. As a result she is perpetually starved for his attention and recognition, and hopes her singing (her latest try at the arts) will win Cassard’s approval. It doesn’t. He will not even give a few minutes to listen to a tape of her signing she gave him with such hope. Worst still, he does not stay more than 3 minutes at the concert she has been working toward for months.
Lolita’s unsatisfying and unhealthy relationship with her father mirrors her unhealthy dating relationships. Lolita is caught in a cycle of dating men who starve her of attention and intimacy, yet for whom she jumps to please when given the smallest hint of attention. Making matters worse for her self-esteem, most men she dates do so only to meet her influential and rich father - and leave her once they have. Her current obsession, Mathieu, is no exception. When Mathieu sees Lolita at the party he belatedly invited her to he immediately gives her some writing to pass on to Cassard. Mathieu provides some superficial attention at the party but he soon has abandon Lolita and is kissing another woman as the evening ends. It is obvious that the man Lolita has been calling her boyfriend is simply taking advantage of her desperate insecurity.
Lolita’s insecurity is made more sad because she cannot accept Sebastien’s genuine affection. Lolita keeps throwing him over in her quest to please Mathieu, then Cassard, then Mathieu again. In a very telling scene Lolita is complaining continuously about her father and Sebastein correctly notes: “all you talk about is your father.” The truth of Sebastien’s observation is too much for Lolita and she blows up at Sebastien in denial. Either because she does not understand what a healthy relationship is, or because she is too afraid to accept that someone could like her for herself, Lolita continues to reject Sebastien’s affection. Sebastien decides he is through with Lolita when she invites him to her country house and then runs off to meet Mathieu at a party the moment he calls.
The cathartic moment for Lolita arrives after she loses what little hope she had in the two men in her life – she sees Mathieu kissing another woman and learns her father did not stay to see her performance. At this low point Cassard tells her Sebastien rejected a job offer from him to pursue his own writing. She finally realizes Sebastien was not interested in Cassard but cares for her. She rushes off on her bike (so very French) to find Sebastien on the darkened moonlit path. Having lost faith in ever inspiring affection in her father she is ready to accept the affection being offered by Sebastien.
A lovely ending that completes the impact of the film, making the experience a completed whole.
Note: Look at Me is less powerful, less perfect puzzle movie. What do I mean by a puzzle movie? No, not a mystery; rather one of those few movie gems that does not reveal its full emotional weight and beauty until the final scene. Then it all comes together, complete, and you are left to marvel at its perfect construction. (See analysis for Sunrise (February).)
Should you see it? In the words of Woody Allen from the end of Hollywood Ending: “Thank god for the French”!
See January for: ^Closer; ^The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou;
^Finding Neverland; ^The Aviator
See February for: ^Million Dollar Baby; ^Male and Female;
^Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; ^Love; ^Sunrise; ^Ray
See March for: ^Being Julia; ^Millions
See April for: ^Melinda and Melinda
See May for: ^ Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room ^ Chinatown; ^ Born Into Brothels
*Warning the following analysis contains a discussion of the entire film – including the ending.
The French are the absolute masters of the adult romantic comedy, and Look at Me is a wonderful example of French superiority in this genre. It is film about Lolita, an ordinary and utterly insecure young woman, allowing herself to accept genuine affection from the one man in her life who cares for her. It is not clear until the final moment of the film that this is Lolita’s and Sebastien’s love-story. Director Agnes Jaoui is able to surprises us with the love story because so much more of substance is going on around Lolita and Sebastien. (Such a difference from the typical bubble-gum American romantic comedy where it may take you 10 minutes to know how the story is going to turn-out if you did not figure it out 2 weeks before when you saw the preview.) Look at Me is also about the affect of a coldly powerful, egotistical, and absolutely un-nurturing father, Cassard, on an ordinary, over-weight, and unremarkable daughter. Additionally, Look At Me is about how sudden public recognition, success and wealth effects a previously unknown, struggling and self-doubting author and his relationships.
The French are also tops at creating true to life emotional tenor in their films. Look at Me’s final moment where Lolita and Sebastien embrace and walk off into night with the promise to soon be lovers is subtle in beauty and emotion – it is simple, pure, genuine. So very different from the over-the-top endings of fireworks and wedding dresses of the American romantic comedy. It is a lovely, quiet final scene – Lolita and Sebastien walking arm in arm on the darkened trail back to the country cottage, Lolita wheeling her bike along side. Nothing more needs to be said. We know what this story has been about, we can imagine what tomorrow may be for Lolita and Sebastien yet the possibilities are numerous and uncertain.
(And perhaps we all would be better off in our relationships if we too could embrace the loveliness of today with our lovers while looking to the future for what it truly holds - equal portions of possibility and uncertainty.)
Story Synopsis:
Look at Me is a beautiful little film with a young, plain and insecure woman as its protagonist. Lolita’s low self-esteem and emotional insecurity is easy to understand once you have meet Cassard, her unbelievably egotistical and self-centered father. Cassard is a very highly respected author, publisher and intellectual who has no time for anyone but himself and gives thought to no one but himself. Cassard gives to his daughter Lolita only the smallest bits of his time and then none of his attention. As a result she is perpetually starved for his attention and recognition, and hopes her singing (her latest try at the arts) will win Cassard’s approval. It doesn’t. He will not even give a few minutes to listen to a tape of her signing she gave him with such hope. Worst still, he does not stay more than 3 minutes at the concert she has been working toward for months.
Lolita’s unsatisfying and unhealthy relationship with her father mirrors her unhealthy dating relationships. Lolita is caught in a cycle of dating men who starve her of attention and intimacy, yet for whom she jumps to please when given the smallest hint of attention. Making matters worse for her self-esteem, most men she dates do so only to meet her influential and rich father - and leave her once they have. Her current obsession, Mathieu, is no exception. When Mathieu sees Lolita at the party he belatedly invited her to he immediately gives her some writing to pass on to Cassard. Mathieu provides some superficial attention at the party but he soon has abandon Lolita and is kissing another woman as the evening ends. It is obvious that the man Lolita has been calling her boyfriend is simply taking advantage of her desperate insecurity.
Lolita’s insecurity is made more sad because she cannot accept Sebastien’s genuine affection. Lolita keeps throwing him over in her quest to please Mathieu, then Cassard, then Mathieu again. In a very telling scene Lolita is complaining continuously about her father and Sebastein correctly notes: “all you talk about is your father.” The truth of Sebastien’s observation is too much for Lolita and she blows up at Sebastien in denial. Either because she does not understand what a healthy relationship is, or because she is too afraid to accept that someone could like her for herself, Lolita continues to reject Sebastien’s affection. Sebastien decides he is through with Lolita when she invites him to her country house and then runs off to meet Mathieu at a party the moment he calls.
The cathartic moment for Lolita arrives after she loses what little hope she had in the two men in her life – she sees Mathieu kissing another woman and learns her father did not stay to see her performance. At this low point Cassard tells her Sebastien rejected a job offer from him to pursue his own writing. She finally realizes Sebastien was not interested in Cassard but cares for her. She rushes off on her bike (so very French) to find Sebastien on the darkened moonlit path. Having lost faith in ever inspiring affection in her father she is ready to accept the affection being offered by Sebastien.
A lovely ending that completes the impact of the film, making the experience a completed whole.
Note: Look at Me is less powerful, less perfect puzzle movie. What do I mean by a puzzle movie? No, not a mystery; rather one of those few movie gems that does not reveal its full emotional weight and beauty until the final scene. Then it all comes together, complete, and you are left to marvel at its perfect construction. (See analysis for Sunrise (February).)
Should you see it? In the words of Woody Allen from the end of Hollywood Ending: “Thank god for the French”!
