MOVIE - 8 WOMEN - Review Rating $$$$$ $1/2 (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - CATHERINE DENEUVE, FANNY ARDENT, VIRGINIE LEDOYEN, LUDIVINE SAGNIER, FIRMINE RICHARD, ISABELLE HUPPERT, EMMANUELLE BEART AND DANIELLE DARRIEUX.
An extended family of 8 women and the man of the household gather to celebrate Christmas. The homecoming takes a drastic turn for the worse when the patriarch is murdered and the culprit can only be one of the 8 women staying in the house.
This movie is based on the play, of the same name, written by Robert Thomas. The play was set in the 19th century but the movie is set in the 1950's. The film has won several foreign awards and is France's official nomination as 'Best Foreign Film" for the 2002 Academy Awards (See Greg's Previews).
8 Women is a film with an interesting theme that is executed poorly. The theme, centers around the definition of love, not only just between the sexes but between family members as well. As the 8 women attempt to determine which one of them killed their benefactor they each confess their sorted secrets. Its necessary to divulge this information to avoid suspicion as the murderess.
The secrets reveal the true nature of the 8 women's attitudes toward each other and their benefactor. Petty jealously, lesbianism, ungratefulness and ambition all rise to the surface and simultaneously absolve the confessor and increase the inherent tension in such a situation. This carnal knowledge evaporates the shroud that most families cloak themselves in to demonstrate their functionality.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the revelations is the reason some secrets have been kept so long. Though the 8 women have been barely able to contain, their contempt for each other, many of their actions have been motivated by familial love for each other. This of course begs the question whether they would have all been better off telling the truth to begin with. Lies, regardless of their noble motivations, ultimately cause more pain than they seek to prevent.
8 Women does not take itself too seriously and interjects insightful humour into its examination of another dysfunctional family. There is also an intriguing surprise ending that I won't divulge. So far so good but there is also much to dislike about the film.
Considering the quality of the actresses in the film the acting itself was not particularly strong. One gets the sense that this was a hurried production and some of the scenes feel like rehearsals rather than final takes. In more than one instance it appears that the actresses are looking off-screen for directorial motivation. In one scene, involving the two young daughters, when one breaks out into song the other stands around like a wide receiver who stops running his pattern because he knows the pass is not coming to him. In another song segment, though four of the woman provide "back-up" harmonization, when the camera pans over to them they initially seem caught off guard. This happens often enough to be distracting. The camera also catches Catherine Deneuve's reluctance to kiss another woman. A stage kiss lacking the requisite passion to say the least.
One bright spot was the performance of the voluptuous Emmanuelle Beart. She lives up to her namesake's image (what were her parents thinking) and will define the visual representation of what a french maid is supposed to look like for decades to come.
Each of the 8 women also get the opportunity to do a little ditty and sing a song. This is a mixing of story telling methods that just didn't work for me. Though some of the lyrics provided insights into the characters there were no revelations not otherwise apparent. The songs, which were both up tempo and slow, were not of the same caliber as a typical animated Disney production. In the end the songs were dreaded, inevitable distractions that unnecessarily extended the length of the film.
It may also be a bit unfair to add that, in this particular instance at least, the subtitles were distracting. The characters were verbose and lyrical which required a lot of subtitles and even more concentration. A fluent french speaker may have gotten a bit more out of the film than others.
8 Women is an uneven, but worthy production that reinforces the old adage..."Women, you can't live with 'em and you can't live without 'em".
Alternative Reviews:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/wkp-news-women27f.html
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/8Women-1116627/
Official Website (English or French):
http://www.8femmes-lefilm.com/
MY TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2002 LIST
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2003
David Schwartz.
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