Even the best film directors need good actors. Claire Danes Worked with an informal cast of actors who have appeared repeatedly in her films throughout her career, such as Gregory Colin with Alex DeCasse, and more stars of the century, from Vincent Lyndon asshole and Isabelle Huppert exist white material For Juliette Binoche let the sun inThese actors have the guts and experience to host a movie, as well as the acting smarts to work with Dennis’ sly dialogue and omitted filmmaking. Margaret Cooley and Joe Alwyn lead noon stars As two lovers embroiled in a political conspiracy in Nicaragua, their inability to carry the film is a glaring flaw here, unfortunately. Both were misjudged, both lacked chemistry, and neither of them had a good time in conversation. Judging by the early reaction at Cannes, Joe Alwyn’s interpretation of the “Suck me” line is destined to become legendary, but I suggest that Qualley’s interpretation of the “I love eggs” line should be the real frenetic irony here.
Qualley stars as Trish Johnson, a young journalist who for some reason is stranded in politically frenetic Nicaragua and finds herself unable to earn money to fly back; her passport is also confiscated. Here, she relies on sex work to make ends meet, and by the time we meet her, she’s very fed up. One day, she meets Daniel (Alwyn), a shady young Englishman who is on some kind of mission to the country, seems to be some kind of agent, and is often followed by secret agents. The two began an exciting sexual relationship. Trish and Daniel soon run into trouble — well, not fast enough considering the film is two and a half hours long — and they’re forced to resort to desperate measures to outrun their pursuers.
noon stars It’s two films in one, one particularly unsuccessful, the other less successful, but still unsuccessful. There’s a standout romantic storyline, including some sex scenes in a sweaty Nicaragua hotel, and the couple slow dancing in an abandoned cocktail bar; and political intrigue, with various mysterious agents popping up and looming threats.The latter aspect isn’t handled well: Dennis’s storytelling isn’t clear enough, and the film doesn’t have the ambiguous, far-reaching politics of a project like this assholeDennis brilliantly dissects the ills that bind us all together.
noon stars It also doesn’t have enough actors, enough business and life going on in the background — it’s clearly been affected by COVID regulations — so it doesn’t have the necessary fever to convince us of the intense danger of the situation. Instead, Alwyn and Qualley run around completely deserted streets and sip rum in various empty shacks, undermining their sense of living on the edge. On top of that, the blatant mis-choice of protagonists Alvin and Cooley makes the idea of a political thriller: These characters should be more desperate, cynical, tough, grizzled, embattled, and have a tough life — in a word, true. Margaret Cooley barely sweated throughout, looking like a lovely spring break student; Alvin was a handsome corpse in a jacket.
“Margaret Cooley barely sweated throughout, looking like a lovely spring break student; Alvin was a handsome corpse in a jacket.“
Another narrative thread—the passionate romance between the two—is rather disappointing, as Qualwyn has no chemistry at all, no chemistry, no chemistry, no chemistry. But if you can ignore that, Dennis’ sensual aesthetic is more in line with that dimension of the film, and there’s some funny, frankly sexual content in the script. In particular, when we see the couple having sex during Trish’s menstrual period, a super-Dennis feeling arises as Daniel’s chest is covered with menstrual blood, which she gently drains from her body: that’s okay , candid sex, and Dennis’s usual attention to color, and deal with taboos realistically. Another scene – “Suck Me” – is heart-wrenchingly beautiful in which the two lovers, covered in water droplets, lie on hotel sheets under neon lights, drying themselves with a heater. Overall, Dennis brings these bodies together beautifully, like in a heady scene in a bar with a gorgeous Tindersticks song in the background, all pink lights and an electric blue backdrop: It’s so vertiginous and radiant, and it’s such a wonderful feeling that it’s supposed to be so passionate about grabbing these characters.
Dennis’s dialogue, drawn from Dennis Johnson’s book and in collaboration with filmmaker Léa Mysius, feels very stiff and unnatural at times: it’s widely believed that the clean lines and dialogue between characters should have a touch of Graham Greene’s gunpowder , but the dialogue here is rather silly. In one confusing early scene, Daniel asks Trish if she’s a prostitute or the media, to which she replies, “We’re all media,” before quipping, “Then we’re all for sale.” It’s not very interesting , but it could be sorted into something acceptable — and these actors ate it. On another occasion, Daniel observed, “There’s nothing more fun than running away in an old Toyota.” What? Actor Danny Ramirez plays a menacing Nicaraguan security operative whose life is better, deciphering with beautifully straightforward lines, “I don’t like people like you. I don’t like giving you money,” to Trish. This blandness suits the film better than the satire/desperate satire, as it serves a broad range of anti-American politics that can be fleshed out.
noon stars Absolutely Secondary Claire Denis – An Unpleasantly Comparative Film white material and asshole, and a movie that clearly has something wrong, or may still need polish. (The cut from the Cannes Film Festival was rushed into the game and may be remastered for full release.) The question of the lead character is crucial, because Dennis’s world and her style are so special that they have been left unsound. High perfect performer. But not everything is a disaster: the film’s sheer style is especially appealing, and it’s packed with all the sensuality that the central pairing lacks. noon starsdespite all its drawbacks, still offers the opportunity to see a master stylist at work.
