La Captive

Interesting film, one that strikes me as more an intellectual and formal exercise, rather than an emotional or feeling one. I appreciated many of its formal qualities--the beautiful photography, the switch to close-ups at the climactic turn of the film, the presence of light vs. the mostly dark atmosphere of the film. However, only in the film's last segment did I begin to connect with the characters.

a lesbian slowly suffocates under the emotional pressure of her nominally caring but tremendously overbearing boyfriend. the mood of the film is equally oppressive. the couple speak in the soft, slow, serious tones you'd expect of this kind of gloomy romance, and it's all a bit much really. certainly though i was captivated and emotionally involved.

Its somewhat uncommon exploration of a dysfunctional relationship is crippled by its heaviness and rigidity. It's almost entirely a duet, but there's not enough magic between the leads, and it's so 100% on-message and reluctant to let even a little bit loose, as to make it feel a bit too much like a script.

A great depiction of the obsession that can come with wanting to truly *know* someone especially from a patriarchal point of view. Almost painfully slow at times, but in a way that makes it deeply discomfiting. Ariane is a bit of a cipher, but it works because it serves to further highlight the way in which Simon is acting so irrationally.