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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 1999)
‘Dreamlife* offers excellent tale Foreign film paints fine portrait of two women By Samuel McKewon Editor There is, in the realm of modern day film, room for everything. And a good deal of the medium’s finest works resides beyond American shores. “The Dreamlife of Angels,” the third effort from French director Erick Zonca, proves such a notion. A wholly European feel resonates through this stunning, beautiful, strangely mes merizing film. Playing at Mary Riempa Ross Thursday-Sunday this weekend, it’s as good anything pro duced in the United States recently this side of “Affliction.” And like '‘Affliction,” the movie carries with it two haunting perfor mances from its two leads, Elodie Bouchez, who plays Isa, and Natacha Regnier, who plays Marie. Both shared the best actress prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, and for good reason. With their full-bodied performances, they make recent Academy Award winners Gwyneth Paltrow and Helen Hunt seem a little trivial.. Still, it seems unlikely that such a film, which follows squatters Isa and Marie through a few months of their lives in a French flat, would be found worthwhile by an American studio. Such is our mentality that emotion and soul take a back seat to style and wit. “Dreamlife” starts easy enough, with backpacker Isa in the streets of Lille, France, as she finds work out of need, not want, wandering from sell ing cards to a sewing job she quickly gets fired from. There, she finds a feisty, equally young best friend in Marie (Regnier). Marie watches a flat for a woman who died in a car accident. Isa stays with her. And at first, both young women display kindred souls. Slowly, the movie reveals their differences through their interactions with men and those around them. Zonca allows those differences to play out amongst the strength of his actresses. Marie has an outer tough ness protecting a emotional cynicism that ultimately tears her apart when she strikes a intense sexual relation ship with a rich club owner Chriss (Gregoire Colin), who could care less for her. Isa, the bright, caring stronger girl with chewed-up hair and goofy smile, knows it and calls Marie to the truth. It is there the friendship begins to waver. Another element of the movie is • Isa’s visits with a young comatose girl The Facts j(| Title: The Dreamlife of Angels* Stars: Elodie Bouchez, Natacha Regnier Director: Erick Zonca Rating: R (sexual content) Running Time: 2:00 (120 minutes) Grade: A Five Words: Beautiful, moving film near perfection who was also involved in the car acci dent. These visits form the foundation of Isa’s personae and Bouchez’s char acterization of her. Awkward and a bit shunned at the outset, Bouchez lets us in on a woman capable of great com passion and love, as well as an aware ness for the need of other people. Ultimately, it is this image of Isa’s love and responsibility that stands out the most in the film. When she says, “I’m staying,” to one character, she means it, and we find out one scene later what staying means for not only Isa, but the character, too. The emo tions roar. Regnier’s performance of woman burned by love and her past is equally as moving. There is a moment when she is with Chriss, the first time, and she knows what he wants. There is no lower feeling in the film. Regnier plays humiliation very well. The film is written beautifully, as well, sans witty dialogue and filled simple, honest passages. 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A feeling for the soul: rarely has it been captured as it is here. The movie is not for every American viewer, especially those who are not engaged by female-driven dramas or developing emotional jour neys. Those who are not, stay away: “The Dreamlife of Angels” will bore you, as would most artistic films. As another European classic, “Persona,” is one of my favorite films, I mind nei ther of the aforementioned traits, but embrace them. “The Dreamlife of Angels” is one of those rare, beautifully moving gems; a reward for anyone who loves good cinema, especially that of which originates overseas. August 1999 I graduates Your Degree Application is Due: June as* 1999 Apply at 109 Canfield Admin. Bldg. EXCELLENT PART-TIME OPPORTUNITY Earn extra money! Learn new skills! Make new friends! You can do these things and more by becoming a member of the MDS Harris team. We are currently seeking Study Participant Representatives to fill openings in our expanding Call Center. 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