Of director Claire Denis’ film, 35 Shots Of Rum (2008; 35 Rhums), I’d mainly heard about the use of The Commodores song ‘Nightshift’, a melancholy early-1980s jam (about Marvin Gaye’s passing), in a dance sequence. While not used as electrifying or profoundly as the use of a certain dance track at the end of Beau Travail, this scene is part of a lovely sequence where the film’s characters head out together to a concert but are unfortunately stopped due to bad luck and find refuge in a bar after closing time. This whole sequence has moments of comedy, romance, connection, sadness, yet also results in further tensions between the two main characters. Primarily about the relationship between a father and daughter who live together – he is a widowed, taciturn train driver (Alex Descas), she an anthropology student at university (Mati Dopi, future director of Atlantics) – they don’t engage in the usual dramatic arguments you might see in a conventional drama. Everything is understated – they love each other but there is conflict, usually expressed in roundabout ways. There’s also a wider family unit with the other people who live in their apartment block and who have grown up with one another – the open hearted taxi driver (Nicole Dogue) and the jet-setting young man (Gregoire Colin from Beau Travail). 35 Shots Of Rum unfolds quietly, letting the connections and meanings be understood gradually. It is a sweet, melancholy movie that follows their lives over a number of weeks and months, and allows each of the cast to make impressions on the viewer. I was slowly involved in the rhythms and the bonds between the characters, never directly spoken, which feels realistic. By the end, I was sad to leave them after being brought into their world and their love, particularly the performances of Descas and Dopi. It’s the best type of drama to me – sweet and sad, and basically about people trying their best. Scored by the Tindersticks and shot by Denis regular, Agnes Godard, and co-written by another long running collaborator, Jean-Pol Fargeau. Available to stream from the Criterion Channel. Recommended.
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