Clean (2004/I)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Olivier Assayas

Writer:

Olivier Assayas (writer)

Release Date:

1 September 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

When you don't have a choice, you change.

Plot:

The former successful forty-two years old rock star Lee Hauser is decadent and his friends blame his...

Plot Keywords:

Husband Wife Relationship | Rock Music | Prison | Terminal Illness | Train Ride

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Maggie Cheung	...	Emily Wang
Nick Nolte	...	Albrecht Hauser
Béatrice Dalle	...	Elena
Jeanne Balibar	...	Irene Paolini
Don McKellar	...	Vernon
Martha Henry	...	Rosemary Hauser
James Johnston	...	Lee Hauser
James Dennis	...	Jay
Rémi Martin	...	Jean-Pierre
Laetitia Spigarelli	...	Sandrine
Arnaud Churin	...	Store Manager
Man Kit Cheung	...	Restaurant Owner
Kurtys Kidd	...	Detective
Shaun Austin-Olsen	...	Record Label Owner
Jodi Crawford	...	Gloria

MPAA:

Rated R for drug content, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

111 min | France:110 min | USA:90 min | Argentina:110 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

Canada | France | UK

Language:

French | English | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Gare du Nord, Paris 10, Paris, France

Company:

Rectangle Productions

Trivia:

During the scene where Albrecht has a meeting concerning the artwork for Lee's album, a Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds poster is seen on the wall behind him. James Johnston (who plays Lee Hauser) plays guitar and organ in The Bad Seeds.

Movie Connections:

References "The Simpsons" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Third Uncle

Masterful Performance from Maggie Cheung

So what does it take to win at the Cannes Film Festival? Well, Maggie Cheung pulled out all the stops for her win in 2004 in a moving film directed by her ex-husband Olivier Assayas.

Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung), a junkie ex-VJ, struggles in life after her husband, a famed yet ageing rocker whose career is in decline, dies after a heroin overdose on the drugs she had bought him. After serving six months in jail for possession, she finds her son, Jay (James Dennis) is put into the care of her parents in law, Albrecht (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary (Martha Henry). Knowing that the only way to see her son again is to clean herself up, Emily moves to Paris to rebuild her life, seeking help from long forgotten contacts. Meanwhile Albrecht begins to have a change in heart when he realises that Rosemary is dying.

Maggie Cheung's performance isn't easy to match with superlatives. Mastering dialogue in Cantonese, English and French, as well as singing the title track - she, unlike many HK actors, hasn't launched a singing career - it feels as much an honest, raw portrayal of Emily's character and her struggles to deal with the twists presented to her. Whilst Cheung and Assayas may have split amicably years before, I can't help but feel that their own history must have played a part in the making of this film, and if so, they used it well for the benefit of the film. Which is just as well, as I felt the overall script wasn't as impactful as it could be, particularly given Cheung's performance.

Nick Nolte's role is fairly limited. It's strange seeing him now as a grandfather, but he does it well - will we see a change in direction from him? This is a good film, and we will look back on it one day in an awards ceremony and say this is the one movie that exemplifies all of Maggie Cheung's achievements in one film.