I’ve only seen one Eric Rohmer short film, have been sitting on a boxset of the Moral Tales unwatched for a long time, while both Mubi and Stan have been adding the French auteur’s back catalogue to their streaming libraries. Aside from knowing that Noah Baumbach named his child after him and that Gene Hackman’s character in Night Moves called his films like “watching paint dry”, I just knew that Rohmer films were talky. On Eduardo’s suggestion, I put on Full Moon In Paris (1984; Les nuits de la pleine lune), one of his ‘Comedies and Proverbs’ series. When it says “Comedies”, more the comedy of human behaviour than any funny one liners. Full Moon In Paris is about a young woman, Louise (Pascale Ogier) who lives in the suburbs with her possessive, athletic boyfriend (a young Tcheky Karyo). However, he wants to stay in, she wants to go out and party – so she keeps an apartment in Paris and decides to divide her time there. The problems of the bourgeoise! Yet the dialogue felt real to me how people talk, continually explaining themselves and their situation to people, and circling around them ad nausem. There’s also something to Louise’s dilemma of not feeling satisfied in one state or the other (in a relationship or being alone). I wasn’t sure if the director was with Louise or viewed her objectively as a ditz, and felt empathy for her muddled state; by the end, and the climactic conversation that links up with the film’s title, I felt like Rohmer was with her. One thing that added an appreciation of the movie was finding out that the lead, Pascale Ogier, who also helped with the set design and costumes, died a year after its release at the age of 26 due to a heart murmur. With her big hair and quizzical expressions, Ogier stands as a unique presence, complimented by a young Fabrice Luchini’s hilarious performance as the pretentious writer who loves her. It took me awhile to get into the swing of Rohmer’s style with its build up of minuate conversations. I did love the scenes of characters dancing in house parties in their 1980s chic threads and new wave tunes. Available to stream on Mubi and Stan. Recommended if you like your movies French and talky. Any other Rohmers people love?
VHS Tracking 