I don't understand why a few people are raving about aspects of this movie - are they related to the film in some way perhaps? - because I really wanted to like this after everything I've heard, my love of French cinema, and the fact that John Turturro is one of the best actors out there. I won't give away any spoilers, but frankly, don't bother. I'm not sure who coined the description "thriller" for this but it ain't. And frankly there's nothing else in the movie to redeem it, everything gets at best nine out of ten. The actors turn in performances that they were asked to do - you can't really fault them here - but the director's pointlessly obsessive playing around with the focus is at best irritating, but mostly just tiresome. The word "dilettante" springs to mind. There isn't anything to "get" here that you might think you're missing, and anyone who puts this in the same category as Pulp Fiction or any other movie with a semblance of action, humour or even a decent narrative, doesn't know what they're talking about. Even the romance isn't worked properly. Sorry to disappoint, it's always a good thing for somebody's pet project to reach the screen, particularly a serious French attempt at grabbing an international audience, but this movie is ruled by a director who needs a tougher producer and an editor who has the capacity to say "no" more often.
Review of Quelques jours en septembre
