I liked how this film immerses us into the artistic process, and via many (very) long takes, makes us feel the struggle to find truth and expression. The setting, an old French chateau, is beautiful, as is of course Emmanuelle Béart, who plays a young woman who poses nude for an aging artist trying to complete a painting he abandoned long ago. He moves her body around as if she were a mannequin at times, and there is something pretty cool about seeing her form through his eyes as he sketches away.
Despite its interesting setup, however, the film never really turned the corner for me, and grew tedious over its 4 hour run time. The conversations about art didn't have much depth, and the work the artist produced never inspired me. The relationship issues both artist and model have with their partners were melodramatic and didn't add anything either. To his credit, Jacques Rivette didn't have the story play out in an artificial or cliché way, but I just wish I had felt something deeper in the characters, their conversations, or the art itself. As it was, it felt self-indulgent and gratuitous with Béart's body.
Despite its interesting setup, however, the film never really turned the corner for me, and grew tedious over its 4 hour run time. The conversations about art didn't have much depth, and the work the artist produced never inspired me. The relationship issues both artist and model have with their partners were melodramatic and didn't add anything either. To his credit, Jacques Rivette didn't have the story play out in an artificial or cliché way, but I just wish I had felt something deeper in the characters, their conversations, or the art itself. As it was, it felt self-indulgent and gratuitous with Béart's body.