A SINGLE GIRL
(LA FILLE SEULE)
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.0 Alternative Scale: ***1/2 out of ****
France, 1995
U.S. Release Date: variable; early 1997 (limited)
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes, sexual situations,
profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Virginie Ledoyen, Benoit Magimel, Dominique Valadie, Vera Briole Director: Benoit Jacquot Producers: Philippe Carcassonne, Brigitte Faure Screenplay: Benoit Jacquot, Jerome Beaujour Cinematography: Caroline Champetier U.S. Distributor: Strand Releasing In French with subtitles
Rarely has any film so accurately and effectively captured the essence of a human being -- the look, the feel, the mannerisms, the vocal inflections. Benoit Jacquot's A SINGLE GIRL isn't a typical motion picture in any sense. Narrative is curtailed in favor of pure character development, and the result is akin to suspending your own life for ninety minutes and spending that time living in someone else's skin. It's extremely unusual for a director, actress, and writer to bring an audience into such a close rapport with a character.
A SINGLE GIRL shows us seventy-five ordinary minutes in the life of Valerie (Virginie Ledoyen), a young woman who's beginning a new job as a room service waitress at a Paris hotel. She's four weeks pregnant, and has just informed her boyfriend, Remi (Benoit Magimel). Her life is at a watershed: does she continue in a strained relationship with him that may lead to discord and abandonment, or does she make a clean break now and attempt to raise the baby on her own? This is the question that preys upon her mind as she gets to know her co-workers and experiences the ups and downs of the morning room service rush.
Not once in seventy-five minutes does Jacquot's film transition away from Valerie or jump forward in time. It is strictly chronological, presenting a minute in real time as a minute in screen action. The camera follows Valerie's every move, no matter how mundane. She's shown walking down streets and through the halls of the hotel, riding elevators, and stealing a moment for a quick smoke. She's not just in every scene, she's in practically every frame.
Yet, even though the voyeuristic perspective of the camera allows us intimate access to Valerie's thoughts and actions, it is not invasive, nor is it interested in exploitation. For example, during a scene when she changes her clothes in a locker room, the camera cuts to her face, passing up the opportunity to peer at her topless body. This scene clearly indicates what the director's motives are (and aren't) in telling this particular story in this manner.
The quiet, intense realism of Virginie Ledoyen's (the daughter in LA CEREMONIE) performance is one of the paramount reasons for A SINGLE GIRL's unqualified success. Not only does Ledoyen have a pleasant countenance for the camera to dote upon longingly, but she's a shrewd actress who understands the importance of details in making the character real. There are numerous occasions when we understand Valerie's mindset and intentions as a result of some subtle action: a gesture, an expression, or a mannerism. Yes, Ledoyen is beautiful, but it's her aptitude, not her comeliness, that draws us in.
A SINGLE GIRL concludes with a fifteen minute epilogue that takes place some three years after the bulk of the film. It's a nice addition that offers a sense of closure to the story and answers many of the questions that couldn't have been resolved had Jacquot decided to restrict the entire movie to one time-frame. The Valerie we meet in this future segment is a more mature, secure woman, but much of the same tempestuousness and obstinacy are still evident. It's a credit to everyone involved that the growth and change of several years can be conveyed in such a relatively short sequence.
When a character study fails, it is, more often than not, because the audience never really connects with the film's protagonist. This is a flaw that never plagues A SINGLE GIRL, because Jacquot bends all of his film making talents to forging a deep link. As a result, even though nothing much happens during the course of the movie (Valerie spends over half the running time wandering around the inside of a hotel), this is a thoroughly engrossing motion picture. This is one single girl I wouldn't mind spending more time with.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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