La Petite Lili (2004)
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Theatrical Release: Nov 12, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: Handsome, young, naïve, and insufferably pretentious, amateur filmmaker Julien (Robinson Stévenin) and his famous actress mother, Mado (Nicole Garcia), are locked into a power-play at their country house. Jeanne (Julie Depardieu), the daughter of the caretaker, is in love with Julien.... Handsome, young, naïve, and insufferably pretentious, amateur filmmaker Julien (Robinson Stévenin) and his famous actress mother, Mado (Nicole Garcia), are locked into a power-play at their country house. Jeanne (Julie Depardieu), the daughter of the caretaker, is in love with Julien. But Julien's girlfriend, Lili (Ludivine Sagnier), is irresistibly drawn to the successful feature-film director Brice (Bernard Giraudeau), Mado's longtime lover and the representation of everything Julien hates about filmmaking. This chaos gets drawn out in achingly beautiful, color-drenched shots of blue skies, ocean, trees, and the earthy, ethereal Sagnier in full flower. It's a decidedly post-modern interpretation of Chekhov's THE SEAGULL, by esteemed film director Claude Miller (ALIAS BETTY), wherein the plot eventually doubles back on itself to become a self-reflexive study of filmmaking. Though Miller has a lot to say about the compromises of art, he makes sure his characters are never mere mouthpieces: they all interact like real people, with a refreshing amount of tender affection for one another. The film has all the qualities of the best French imports: warmth, intelligence, humor, and liberal dashes of sex and critical theory. It's the sort of foreign film that originally made foreign films popular in America. Sagnier is clearly her generation's Brigitte Bardot, and Julie Depardieu (Gerard's daughter) proves herself a major talent in a memorable side role. [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Ludivine Sagnier, Nicole Garcia, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Robinson Stévenin, Julie Depardieu
DVD Info
Release:
Aug 23, 2005
DVD Features:
- Region (unknown)
- Keep Case
- Theatrical Trailer
- Biography
- Interviews
Text/Photo Gallery:
- Trailer Gallery
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
It's a simple story, but it's sort of satisfying to see the way they come full circle, using 'the movie within the movie' concept to wrap everything up.
A rather slight work, but especially for those acquainted with 'The Seagull' it should prove an intriguing exercise in translation.
The understated, unsettling sexuality of Ludivine Sagnier vamps James Deanish-Robinson Stévenin in Claude Miller's attractive adaptation of Checkov's The Seagull.
Miller crafts a warmly, but not entirely optimistic fable about the salutary power of lazy afternoons, meals taken at dusk beneath outdoor tents and, ultimately, of moviemaking itself.
Sagnier plays her sensuality for all it's worth... which is undisguised and considerable, and provides the glue for a tale that could easily come apart.
A film that adapts the basic Russian classic and then breaks away in more ways than just the setting.
Miller, a French director of dry humor and great skill, has taken the Chekhov outline and updated it to present-day France, substituting the cinema for literature.
Like the play, it's acutely perceptive, universally empathetic and humane.
The film explores the conflict between idealistic youth and pragmatic maturity, respecting each in turn, but succeeds best in underscoring the power of youthful sexuality.
Centers on a small family of wealthy, prominent celebrities, whose indulgent infighting feels forced and predictable
Miller has smoothly transformed Chekov's masterpiece into a critique of his own art -- cinema -- while respectfully retaining the playwright's core themes.
Miller takes Chekhov's themes and checks them off, but he never gets under his egocentric characters' thin skins.
Its lush feel and affectionate tone are a movie-loving Francophile's dream come true.
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