ALICE AND MARTIN A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
André Téchiné's confusing ALICE AND MARTIN (ALICE ET MARTIN) is a combination mystery and character study in which the more we learn, the less we care. The poorly drawn characters are so unsympathetic and uninteresting that we are happy to let them remain enigmas.
As the story opens, 10-year-old Martin Sauvagnac (Jeremy Kreikenmayer), whose parents are divorced, is abruptly sent off by his working class mother to live with his wealthy father on his large manor. In one of many jarring scene transitions, we quickly switch to Martin, played lethargically by Alexis Loret, as a 20-year-old.
When we meet the older Martin, he is running like a mad man out of the gate of his father's estate. Living like an animal in the woods, a nearly mute Martin steals eggs and eats them raw before leaving the chicken coop. Out in a field, he pauses to watch buzzards rip the flesh off of a dead deer. The part where he pushes the birds aside for his own tastes of the deer appears to have been left on the cutting room floor, but his eyes make it clear that that is what he is about to do. Finally, for the crime of stealing eggs, the police lead him off in chains worthy of those for a vicious serial killer.
The movie feels like a much longer film that was hacked up by a maniacal editor who chose random selections of footage. To be fair, this is more likely to be a problem attributable to writers Olivier Assayas, Gilles Taurand and André Téchiné than editor Martine Giordano. Couple this bewildering narrative with Caroline Champetier's ugly and dingy cinematography, and you get an obtuse mess.
Martin goes to Paris to live with his brother Benjamin (Mathieu Amalric) and his brother's roommate Alice (Juliette Binoche). Alice, a violinist, explains upfront to Martin that her relationship with Benjamin is not sexual. Later, she tells Martin that she never mixes sex and friendship. (We are frequently told that Europeans have a healthier attitude about sex than do we Americans. Would Alice be considered an example of what they have in mind?)
Benjamin and Alice have an unusual relationship. They brag that they trade roles being each other's child. How's that for getting in touch with your inner child?
Although Alice initially writes off Martin as being "like a hobo from another planet," she -- surprise! -- falls for him. After being discovered at a cafe, Martin is given a job as a model. As his career is taking off, Alice downplays hers to follow him. Along the way, we learn that Martin's father "fell" down the stairs to his death and that is what freaked Martin out. Hmm, could there be more than meets the eye here? Do we care? No.
ALICE AND MARTIN runs a long 2:00. The film is in French with English subtitles. It is rated R for a scene of sexuality and language and would be acceptable for older teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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