WARNING, WARNING, WARNING--MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD. DON'T READ UNLESS YOU ARE 100% SURE YOU DON'T MIND LEARNING ABOUT A MAJOR PLOT TWIST.
There seems to be quite a bit of disagreement about this Claude Chabrol film. Some see it as a masterpiece and some really dislike it. I was less than enthusiastic about it--mostly because the script seemed to have a lot of problems, though the direction was very good.
The film is about four female co-workers and is a small snippet of their lives and loves. The problem with it is that some of the characters seemed very shallow and difficult to like or connect to for the audience. One seemed rather trampy and dumb, one was engaged to a man who was a real spineless weasel, one had aspirations to become a professional singer but hid this from the others and one seemed like a nice lady who dreamed of a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. Frankly, there was too much--too many ladies and none of them were well explored or executed. The film probably would have done better concentrating on one or two.
Another problem with these plots is that when this Prince does arrive near the end for the one lady, he eventually turns out to be a serial killer and the film ends with her brutal murder. What's entertaining about all of this?! And, considering that her character (like the others) was never fully developed, her murder seems less sad and more of a plot device.
As for the rest of the film, the direction is lovely--with some excellent closeups, excellent composition, etc.. Overall, however, I have seen many of Chabrol's films and have found that they are a mixed bag--sometimes they work very well (THIS MAN MUST DIE and L'ENFER) and sometimes the story lacks connection with the characters and they are too often just pawns who are just there to eventually be killed in the film. In fact, this is a sort of trademark in his films--such that after a while you expect a random and senseless death and so it's only a surprise when it DOESN'T happen.
Overall, while this film is interesting, it's also not particularly noteworthy or enjoyable.
There seems to be quite a bit of disagreement about this Claude Chabrol film. Some see it as a masterpiece and some really dislike it. I was less than enthusiastic about it--mostly because the script seemed to have a lot of problems, though the direction was very good.
The film is about four female co-workers and is a small snippet of their lives and loves. The problem with it is that some of the characters seemed very shallow and difficult to like or connect to for the audience. One seemed rather trampy and dumb, one was engaged to a man who was a real spineless weasel, one had aspirations to become a professional singer but hid this from the others and one seemed like a nice lady who dreamed of a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. Frankly, there was too much--too many ladies and none of them were well explored or executed. The film probably would have done better concentrating on one or two.
Another problem with these plots is that when this Prince does arrive near the end for the one lady, he eventually turns out to be a serial killer and the film ends with her brutal murder. What's entertaining about all of this?! And, considering that her character (like the others) was never fully developed, her murder seems less sad and more of a plot device.
As for the rest of the film, the direction is lovely--with some excellent closeups, excellent composition, etc.. Overall, however, I have seen many of Chabrol's films and have found that they are a mixed bag--sometimes they work very well (THIS MAN MUST DIE and L'ENFER) and sometimes the story lacks connection with the characters and they are too often just pawns who are just there to eventually be killed in the film. In fact, this is a sort of trademark in his films--such that after a while you expect a random and senseless death and so it's only a surprise when it DOESN'T happen.
Overall, while this film is interesting, it's also not particularly noteworthy or enjoyable.