Director: Claire Denis
Year Released: 2013
Rating: 1.5
Claire Denis Out Claire Denis-ing Herself: 'Let's Get Scrambled' Edition. A member of the French Navy (Vincent Lindon) returns home following the suicide of his brother-in-law, is convinced (by his sister) that a wealthy creditor named Laporte (Michel Subor) has something to do with it (as well as the rape of his niece) so he moves into an apartment complex where Laporte's mistress (Chiara Mastroianni) is living in order to seduce her. If that premise sounds wonky to begin with, Denis' treatment of it makes it seem even more perplexing: she freely cuts to whenever and wherever in the logical time frame she wants, liberally flashing forward and backward most capriciously. This jigsaw editing - not to mention Tindersticks' ominous score - is supposed to lend it a creepy atmosphere (and it does ... a little), but this could be Denis' way of masking the preposterousness of the story and the sensationalistic aspects contained therein (a father allowing his daughter to be mutilated with a corn cob).
