Va Savoir

Director: Jacques Rivette
Year Released: 2001
Rating: 3.0

Frankly, I'm not sure how Rivette does it: his movies, with their massive running times, are almost always captivating, refined and controlled, letting his story move along at just the right pace, coaxing performers to maintain interest. Va Savoir, for all its success, isn't overwhelming some of the 'major critics' - maybe they feel it's too slight, maybe they are put off by the little flaws scattered throughout (the 'heated arguments' don't always feel real, the gratuitous famous philosopher name-dropping suggests faux-intellectualism) - but I felt it was a charming tale that plays out like one of Rohmer (or Chabrol's) romantic epics. Much better than Gosford Park.