A Real Life - Au Voleur, 2009

A Real Life - Au Voleur, 2009
Director: Sarah Petit
Cast: Guillaume Depardieu, Florence Loiret Caille, Jacques Nolot


A Real life in short: Reacting impulsively to an inappropriate crush, a respectable young teacher lays her safety on the line for a grubby petty thief. Before she knows it, she's on the run - Bonnie to his Clyde, appropriately accompanied by Depression-era American folk tunes.


Stage: Theatre Dvor / official scenery of Life festival

Preps: Only seeing the synopsis I think it might be interesting. Furthermore, I enjoy french movies as i am keen on the language and I love the sound of it.


Reality: Again, a too static movie, not showing the real connection or the energy within the two main actors. Some classic faults - he robs her of her jewelery (bracelet), and we don't see it how she gets it back, however she carries it in the second half of the movie. And some idealistic things that couldn't work IRL - how come that if you get shot in the stomach, you survive the next night and day.. and how come you get to row in the middle of France and not coming anywhere for quite some time..
The main problem in this movie I see is not really these few comments I made upper - I actually didn't like neither the story nor the flow the director chose to follow. The romantic scenes are far from romance. The idea of love between them compared with Bonnie and Clyde is really funny - it cannot be compared, as it shows underestimation of the Bonnie and Clyde ideal. And is a bit insulting, too - to the main characters of B&C.
First half of the movie I spent waiting for the real action. And the second half with the slow sliding through the nature, with waiting for its ending. Nothing really adventurous in this piece. I felt choosing Panter from Rainer Maria Rilke as the entrance to the movie was touching, but in no way the pair should be compared with the gracious animal or the perspective of the famous song. How do two live in nature together, apart from another life? I don't think we are able to. The only thing the movie inspires is me, is this philosophical approach - how could we function, if there was nothing but your spouse and you? Most couples would fall apart, as they wouldn't know what to do with themselves or the time they had. Instead of indulging it and embracing it. I believe the world nowadays just wasn't meant to function this way.



My personal rating: 4,0 (nothing really special to see - and no real adventure. The ending is missing and the idealistic approach definitely doesn't charm me - doesn't happen in real life).


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