Clouds of Sils Maria (2015)

Touches You

Simply Perfect

Awesome Movie

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The title refers to a town in Switzerland - Sils - where beautiful cloud formations hover and shift over the landscape. Our heroine Maria stays in the town while trying to sort out her feelings about a new play she is going to perform. She has come to the realization that she is no longer her "younger" self, and she does not quite understand who she is now. The title is a reference to the mental and emotional clouds that hover and shift over her or alternatively the "clouds" that she herself creates during her visit there. I will not repeat the entire plot here since every other review goes over that quite well. Suffice it to say that the older woman is Maria (Juliette Binoche), her young assistant is Valentine (Kristen Stewart), and a younger actress is JoAnn (Chloe Grace Morentz). Maria is cast in a play as an older woman who is seduced and manipulated by the younger actress, JoAnn. Since Maria once starred in the very same play in the younger part, she is at a loss how to approach playing the older woman. Her assistant Val tries to convince her that she can bring something special to the part, while Val also validates the talent and importance of the younger actress and her part. This is a formulation that Maria cannot, somehow, understand. Spoiler Alert:Val becomes increasingly frustrated that she cannot make Maria see the value of both the older and younger parts and she finally exits the movie in an abrupt and unexplained manner. This has given rise to many theories and I have my own. We can take the exit quite literally, but there is another level of interpretation to consider. In the story, I think that Val actually represents the "young" Maria, trying to tell her older self that she has gained something worthwhile through aging. Val has the qualities that Maria misses from her younger self - freedom, daring - but she has gained knowledge and wisdom that no longer allows her to "dare," since she has a firm understanding of who she is and what she can do. She actually has freedom she has earned in her career, and daring makes no sense when she has a complete understanding of her strengths and weaknesses. Val exits the movie when she realizes that she has done all she can do to make Maria aware of this. Maria is just not open to that understanding. Or perhaps she is, and Val is no longer necessary?At the very end of the film, as Maria is still trying to find her voice, she asks JoAnn to make one small change in her performance to extend some grace to Maria's character in the play. It is the same gesture that Maria made when she played the younger woman, to allow the older character to exit the scene with some dignity. JoAnn flatly refuses, mocking Maria. At that point, Maria should come to understand that the difference between them is not age, but of character. Val was right, Maria should not covet her youth but she should value her own character and experience. It is not clear whether Maria finally understands this, perhaps too late?This movie has so many layers that you may continue thinking about it for quite a while, or you may just give up. But it is a very useful contemplation of age, and all of the actresses give outstanding and very distinct performances.

I ask relatively little of movies, but do expect to be entertained, informed or stimulated intellectually in a meaningful way.That said, I agree with other reviewers who consider this to be a self-indulgent film, apparently only about acting, by and for actors. Neither the plot nor the characters are compelling or even interesting. Therefore, the claimed subtlety, sophistication and excellence of the screenplay and acting are not apparent since I'm not engaged enough to care. In short, it is uninteresting, unimportant and unmemorable (Bo-ring).A movie is like a song. The music draws me in, and only then the words or message become of interest. Without appealing sound I could usually care less about possibly interesting content. Clouds of Sils Maria lacks the music.

There are so many reasons to like this film. First, the cast includes two of the lead actresses of two different generations - the priceless and prize covered Juliette Binoche and one of the top performers of the younger generation Kristen Stewart, who after having started and made herself a name in blockbusters took a turn into her career to more profound and fulfilling roles. Then, it's a story with multiple threads and subtext, but centered around the show (more specifically theater) business where the two actresses live and breathe. Last but not least, it's a movie that while well told as a story leaves enough room for mystery and imagination. I am just surprised by the relative low impact the film had in festivals and even with the public - and I suspect that some distribution problems were involved.The story written and brought to screen by Olivier Assayas is said to have been tailored and designed for Juliette Binoche, and these fine actress really deserves it and makes the best of it. It's a story about a theater actress who debuted two decades before the action takes place as the younger pole of a feminine couple in a play that is about power fight between ages and a love story built out of that confrontation. She's now the age of the older woman in the couple and is asked to play the other other on stage, just after the playwright and mentor has passed away. She accepts half-heartily and starts repeating the role in the cottage located in the Swiss mountains that belonged to the author, together with her young assistant (Stewart). Is the relation in life a replica of the one in the play? The borders between the two are blurred away more and more as the story advances ... and I will tell no more in order to avoid spoiling any ounce of the pleasure of watching one of the most intelligent and sensitive dialogues and intriguing story line I have seen recently on screens. I will just say that both actresses are magnificent and that the film tells a lot about relations, friendship, art, the borders between art and life, show business cruel rules and the role that 'smart' communications play in our lives.And then we have Switzerland, and its landscapes which play such an important role in the aesthetics and in the drama, maybe exactly because of their beauty and apparent tranquility. I loved the threatening metaphor of the snake that gives the name of the play-in-the-film and shows up only once at a key moment. Or maybe it does not, because there is much that is not told in this movie which is exactly the reason some may not like it, and some other will love it and will continue to be haunted by it after the screening ends. I belong to the later category.

'CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA': Four Stars (Out of Five)Critically acclaimed drama flick; about a middle-aged movie star, that's asked to costar in a revival of the play that made her famous (20 years earlier). The film stars Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz. All three actresses received rave reviews for their performances; with Stewart becoming the first American actress to ever win a Cesar Award (for Best Supporting Actress). The movie was written and directed by Olivier Assayas. I enjoyed the great performances, and the film's clever dialogue.Maria Enders (Binoche) is an international movie star, and veteran stage actress, that's been popular for 2 decades now. She's asked to costar in a revival of the play 'Maloja Snake'; which made her famous 20 years earlier. This time she's asked to play an older role though; of two female leading characters, in a lesbian love story of betrayal. Maria reluctantly takes the part, and struggles with it deeply. She rehearses the role, with her assistant Valentine (Stewart); whom she also has feelings for. The movie is a pretty insightful look at stardom (in the film and play world). It's an especially interesting look at what it's like to be an aging star; watching someone younger, replace you (in many ways). The performances are all great, and the dialogue always kept me interested. It's a little long, at 2 hours, but it never feels too slow-paced. If you're interested in film, you should probably enjoy it.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/EuKmXpjFt-k