For Sale (1998)

the audience applauded

Memorable, crazy movie

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

A private eye is searching for a woman who keeps taking sleeping with men, staying with them for some time and taking money for all this. The man finds out a lot about the woman and is then able to identify with her. In flashbacks, we see every station of France's journey, a lot of different men who fell in love with her and her different reactions.It's an interesting, really entertaining and also visually inspired film. Laetitia Masson uses very bright colours and CinemaScope, although the story is rather intimate and personal. This creates a catching atmosphere and one willingly follows the story. Why does France take money for sex? Sandrine Kiberlain plays her so convincingly that after some time you understand her character, even if you don't sympathize with her, and you don't wonder why she does what she does any more.I don't think this film wants to tell us anything. It's a composition of pictures with it's focus on characters, though practically free of emotions: the movie's look implies emotionality and the viewer does feel a lot, but the characters don't seem to. 8 out of 10.

I loved this movie. Because of Sandrine, holding all the intensity of her character. Because of the style! Laetitia Masson succeeds in adding to her usual good social work, an efficient narrative rhythm that almost turns the movie to a feminist and sensitive thriller. Nobody can understand France's motivations and fortunately, Laetitia gives no answer because it has to stay the mystery of that woman.In front of this enigma, the others characters sound true (wonderful sergio Castellito), human, with their weakness, defaults, ability to give and to forget. I felt it was a beautiful, dark but shiny, honest story about mankind, ...the same that Cassavetes was able to tell us.

This is an entertaining tail of a bunch of complex characters and their history, as a private detective tries to find out about their past ( and his own!). Unfortunately the film totally collapse in the last 10- 15 minutes. I don't see the use of this "epilogue" at all, and for reasons ( budget?) that are not clear to me, this part of the film is suddenly filmed on video. This gives a strange contrast to the rest of the film, that's nicely shot.

Sandrine Kimberlain is good in this movie, her character fits her really well. The whole movie is her quest, she tries to find something that is probably inside her. We don't really know if she'll someday find it but there is a little hope. Feelings and sentiments are very powerful. The characters are all so different that it gives a reality to the movie, even if Kimberlain's character is sometimes hard to comprehend. I could accept her actions and reactions even if I would act and react differently.