i was distracted by the fact that this is a real father-son team and knowing something of their real life stories, i kept looking for the genuineness of emotion i thought might be lurking - it wasn't there though.
the daughter is as stifling and neurotic as her father says she is, and as deranged as her brother who kidnaps their father is - entirely dour and sometimes totally uncomfortable film. despite the son's saying things are resolved for him (which we don't believe), if i were their father i'd want to vanish too to get away from them and from his life, which Berger shows us is shovelling horse's excrement some of the time, literally, anyway... the son's weak character must be a deterrent to any development of a relationship and his decision to drive aimlessly somewhere with his entrapped father does not have any significance, in fact, it is a failure. and who was Arthur, the dark-haired chap? why would anyone love or marry that awful daughter, if he is her husband.
but,as ever, when he is on the scene, Gerard Depardieu dominates and is so much more compelling a figure than anyone else - but i suspect at some moments in the car, etc, with his son, he decided to play it down, not only because he lacked good dialogue, but in a mistakenly generous gesture, he may not have wanted to outshine the vapid acting of his unattractive son.this even further ruins the film. a disappointing and cringe-making experience. sorry, i did not like this at all. compare it to the film "Elisa" in which Paradis plays Depardieu's angry daughter - they have an equally tricky relationship but the script is so much better and it is far more genuine and significant even if not entirely perfect. i resent having paid any money for this film at all - it is shambles and mostly the writer is to blame!
the daughter is as stifling and neurotic as her father says she is, and as deranged as her brother who kidnaps their father is - entirely dour and sometimes totally uncomfortable film. despite the son's saying things are resolved for him (which we don't believe), if i were their father i'd want to vanish too to get away from them and from his life, which Berger shows us is shovelling horse's excrement some of the time, literally, anyway... the son's weak character must be a deterrent to any development of a relationship and his decision to drive aimlessly somewhere with his entrapped father does not have any significance, in fact, it is a failure. and who was Arthur, the dark-haired chap? why would anyone love or marry that awful daughter, if he is her husband.
but,as ever, when he is on the scene, Gerard Depardieu dominates and is so much more compelling a figure than anyone else - but i suspect at some moments in the car, etc, with his son, he decided to play it down, not only because he lacked good dialogue, but in a mistakenly generous gesture, he may not have wanted to outshine the vapid acting of his unattractive son.this even further ruins the film. a disappointing and cringe-making experience. sorry, i did not like this at all. compare it to the film "Elisa" in which Paradis plays Depardieu's angry daughter - they have an equally tricky relationship but the script is so much better and it is far more genuine and significant even if not entirely perfect. i resent having paid any money for this film at all - it is shambles and mostly the writer is to blame!