Au plus près du paradis (2002)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Tonie Marshall

Writers:

Tonie Marshall (scenario and dialogue) and
Anne-Louise Trividic (scenario and dialogue) ...

Release Date:

20 November 2002 (France)

Genre:

Romance

Plot:

People and life can be cruel, and in their face, Fannette is cool: toward an old acquaintance, to her daughter...

Plot Keywords:

Letter | Photographer | Passion | Lost Love | Book

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Catherine Deneuve	...	Fanette
William Hurt	...	Matt
Bernard Le Coq	...	Bernard
Hélène Fillières	...	Lucie
Gilbert Melki	...	Alain
Nathalie Richard	...	Brigitte
Patrice Chéreau	...	Pierre
Noémie Godin-Vigneau	...	Carole
Emmanuelle Devos	...	Jeune femme cinéma
Daniel Pommereulle	...	L'éditeur
François Arnal	...	Himself
Christian Cloarec	...	Videur cinéma
Paulina Porizkova	...	Mary Rafelson
Thomas Beckett
Merwin Goldsmith

Also Known As:

Lo más cercano al cielo (Spain)
Nearest to Heaven (International: English title)

Runtime:

90 min | Italy:100 min (Venice Film Festival)

Country:

France | Spain | Canada

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Spain:T | Canada:G

Company:

Canal+

Movie Connections:

Features An Affair to Remember (1957)

Strange, dreamy, romantic

This will suit only some tastes: a dreamy, loosely plotted film about a (presumably divorced) Parisienne (Deneuve) grown very romantic in middle age - idealizing a man she spurned forty years before.

This viewer believes that the man has not gotten in touch with her again -that her longing imagination (spurred by repeated viewing of An Affair To Remember) has so taken over that she only fantasizes that he has left her (threw on the ground to a pursuing Deneuve an envelope containing) a note to meet him at the top of the Empire State Building on a particular day and time. The movie invites other viewers to instead believe that the man is simply cryptic and elusive, and has made such an appointment.

Fortunately for Deneuve's longing, she must go to New York for work (she is writing a book about a painter and must have three paintings currently in New York photographed for the book). While there, the photographer (Hurt playing a very goofy character) falls for her.

So, will she step into reality by taking up with Hurt who offers her love - or proceed further into the fantasy world by making her appointment at the Empire State Building? And if the latter, what will ensue? There are many inconsistencies in Deneuve's character - e.g., she has no sentiment about anything in her past - has just moved from her old home, has no desire to keep close relations with her daughter (and cleaned out her room), seldom attends reunions of the class where she knew the idealized Philippe - yet she aches with every couple she sees kiss and imagines Philippe everywhere.

Only reason to see this is for Deneuve -I'd never seen her play a character who can be rattled, silly, spontaneous - and she's wonderful. Hurt's character is however an idiot whom no woman would fall for - let alone both Paulina Porizkova (playing an art owner's wife involved with Hurt before her marriage) and Catherine Deneuve.

Finally, a warning to men: do not try Hurt's move with Deneuve at home. You will be injured.