What a visual feast! Magnificent photography of Sils Maria in Austria and other alpine locations is matched by the beauty of Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart, who play a 40-something actress dealing with aging and her 20-something personal assistant. The plot centers on Binoche's (last blogged in Words and Pictures) Maria preparing a remake of the play that made her famous, only now she will play the older woman and a new starlet, played by Chloe Grace Moretz (most recently in Laggies), will be the ingenue, originally Maria's part, in the play-within-the-movie. Moretz's Jo-Ann doesn't show up until about halfway through, but the relationship of Maria and Stewart's (last in Still Alice) Valentine is central.
Apparently Binoche suggested the plot to director/writer Olivier Assayas (most recently blogged for Summer Hours, which also featured Binoche) and he immediately wrote the script.
Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux (I Am Love, as well as Arbitrage, though I failed to mention him in the latter) was nominated for a César (French equivalent of Oscar) and, if the movie is eligible for our Oscars, I imagine he'll be recognized here as well.
No soundtrack is available, but here's an abbreviated list, mostly classical.
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes are averaging 91% to audience's 71. Jack and I are somewhere in the middle. Though gorgeous, this is not for the impatient. Slow down, relax, but hurry to see it on the big screen before it closes Thursday.
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