Jamie passion and passionfruit!

Caché (Hidden)

It has taken me 5 days to think of what to write.  While I watched the film I was aware that it had many good features, excellent acting by Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche, an intelligent script that does not give too much away and makes the spectator work, an underlying social political issue – the treatment of the Arabs and black immigrants in France, a very interesting psychological point to explore which is that of what is hidden in our conscience seconded by the issue of being watched and how this affects someone and finally some very dramatic and explosive scenes that are built up to painstakingly by the director but also cause great surprise.  In short, a rich film with plenty that many other pictures lack.  And yet, I found that it dragged in the middle a bit and over the days, it has faded from my memory.  Why?  Well, maybe the characters are not so likeable and perhaps it all seems somewhat contrived – I was reminded of Nanni Moretti in the determined exploration of subjects that end up being a bit unresolved.  Moretti does have a warmth that this film lacks.  Maybe it is very much a good portayal of Europe in that. I guess you can recognise all the good features in the film and still not like it that much – after all The Piano Teacher was of the same ilk.  So well worth seeing, a good subject for study, an important film for what it has to say and the way that it says it,  but not necessarily my favourite.

¶¶¶¶ +