<i>"Francine: There are times when life calls out for a change. A transition. Like the seasons. Our spring was wonderful, but summer is over now and we missed out on autumn. And now all of a sudden, it's cold, so cold that everything is freezing over. Our love fell… More
<i>"Francine: There are times when life calls out for a change. A transition. Like the seasons. Our spring was wonderful, but summer is over now and we missed out on autumn. And now all of a sudden, it's cold, so cold that everything is freezing over. Our love fell asleep, and the snow took it by surprise. But if you fall asleep in the snow, you don't feel death coming. Take care"</i>
This review will be pretty long so bear with me. Paris Je T'aime or (Paris, I Love You) is a collaboration of international directors all over the world and tells stories about love in the City of Love. The film is broken down into 18 short films by different directors. While some segments bore me out of my skull and most of them, impressive, "Paris, Je T'aime" as an entity is a brilliant piece of work. Okay, so we'll start off with:
<u><b>Montmartre</b></u>: This is the birthplace of one of film's most celebrated characters, Amelie. The short "Montmartre" directed by French writer-director Bruno Podalydes tells the story of a man psycho-analyzing all women who pass by him while inside his car on a parking spot. Fate decides to pair him up with a woman with low sugar level and the rest is history. The opening short was pretty okay, nothing out of the ordinary, it was a generic "when boy meets girl" love story and that was that.
<u><b>Quais de Seine</b></u>: A story about three hopeless teenage boys who teases every women they see. One of them however meets a lovely young Muslim woman and immediately on the get-go, it is love at first sight. This segment was better than the first but again nothing special. Directors Chadha & Berges showed that love knows no boundaries even if you're from different ethnicities.
<u><b>Le Marais</b></u>: A pretty awkward short by Gus Van Sant. A homosexual Gaspard Ulliel is somehow attracted to a young printshop worker and believes they are soul mates. You can call it a twist perhaps and this short's conclusion will give you a chuckle. The guy said call him not run.
<u><b>Tuileries</b></u>: At this part of the film it's already picking up pace as American filmmakers the Coen brothers directs this hilarious segment that stars Steve Buscemi in a non-speaking role and tells the story of an American tourist who breaks the cardinal rule of eye contact while in a Tuileries station. This bit had me laughing all the way and I loved every minute of it.
<u><b>Loin du 16e</b></u>: A beautiful short about a woman who leaves her baby in a daycare before taking a long commute to her employer's house to take care of the employer's baby. This one is beautiful. That's all I can say. The lullaby that she sings is quite catchy too.
<u><b>Porte de Choisy</b></u>: When I saw this one it reminded me of David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive". Because in a nutshell, this film is just plain weird. So this guy, a hairstylist, heads out to Chinatown in Paris and from this point forward I didn't understand what was going on. The guys who made this must be high up their boners when they shot this one. And alas, it requires second viewing to fully understand it.
<u><b>Bastille</b></u>: This is one of my favorites. The story will make you sad although I did not cry like a leaked faucet, I'm still depressed every time I remember this bit.
<u><b>Place des Victoires</b></u>: So the previous short was sad right? Wait until you get a hold of this one. Japanese director Nobuhiro Suwa directs Juliette Binoche as a grieving mother and Willem Dafoe as a magical cowboy. This bit is "Bastille" but ten times sad. The story is just heart-breaking.
<u><b>Tour Eiffel</b></u>: French animator Sylvain Chomet directs this cute little short about a boy who tells how his parents who are both mimes, meet in prison and fall in love. "Tour Eiffel" is a funny, feel-good, romantic, cute short film that'll surely tickle your funny bone. This one is up there too.
<u><b>Parc Monceau</b></u>: Alfonso Cuaron's collaboration stars chain-smoking Nick Nolte and feisty Ludivine Sagnier as they talk about something I don't really care about in one continuous single shot. I can see the effort but the dialogue failed to glue the audience to the characters presented on-screen. Turns out, the 3rd person was the young lady's baby. Wow.
<u><b>Quartier des Enfants Rouges</b></u>: French filmmaker Oliver Assayas directs Maggie Gyllenhaal as an American actress in Paris who obtains unstable hashish from her dealer. What kept me glued to this one is not the story but Maggie's acting. It may be short but it was enough. Strong emotions radiates from her face and it is simply amazing.
<u><b>Place des fêtes</b></u>: "Bastille" was sad, "Place des Victoires" was 10x sadder but this one is the saddest of the whole bunch. Actually, its not sad, its fucking depressing. To think that it was a short 6 minute film but it felt like watching all of Darren Aronofsky's films in one fell swoop. The short starts simple but then it builds up to one tragic ending with the symbolic, almost poetic, concluding shot of the two coffees the woman is holding.
<u><b>Pigalle</b></u>: Remember when I said some shorts bored me out of my skull, well, this is one of them. I love Bob Hoskins as an actor and all but why would I give a flying fuck about two old farts arguing in front of a prostitute? I'm sorry but this short is more suited for old farts.
<u><b>Quartier de la Madeleine</b></u>: Vincenzo Natali directs Elijah Wood and Olga Kurylenko in this vampirical take of a love story in the city of Paris. I'm not really a fan of the whole vampire myth but if the vampire is as feisty as Olga Kurylenko, then I'll gladly let her bite me. This one was stunning in a vampiric, weird kind of way. I love it.
<u><b>Père-Lachaise</b></u>: This one also belongs to the "Bored-Me-Out-of-My-Skull" department. I didn't know what was going on here. So this woman breaks up with the guy because the guy hates Oscar Wilde but then he trips and bumps his head on Wilde's epitaph and poof! Wilde appears to him to give some love advice and then he runs to the woman to reconcile with her. Yep, that's pretty much it. Sorry, Wes Craven, you're at the back of the line.
<u><b>Faubourg Saint-Denis</b></u>: This one is the best of them all. It easily takes the cake as the best short out of the rest well mainly because its directed by underrated German director Tom Tykwer. It also stars Natalie Portman and it is the most deeply affectionate love story of the bunch. Tykwer's style of directing was so spectacular and beautiful and amazing plus you have the most heart-wrenching montage you will ever see. Its just brilliant.
<u><b>Quartier Latin</b></u>: Another bore out of my skull short film, this film is about two old farts who meet at a restaurant for one last special dinner before they get divorced. Like I said in "Pigalle", this one is more suitable for old farts.
<u><b>14e arrondissement</b></u>: And last but not least, the most amazingly written short directed by Alexander Payne tells the story of a woman from Denver, Colorado who, while on her first Parisian holiday, narrates in rough French what she loves about Paris. The monologue of the woman is well-written and witty. Add to that her fake European accent will make you smile awkwardly. And I love it.
So that's it. My very lengthy review of "Paris, Je T'aime". You'll never see a review this long until "New York, I Love You" comes out. Can't wait.
<b>4/5</b>