S R
1001 movies to see before you die. A bizarre study of obsession. It was tedious and on CRI.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
07/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A story of a man who lives with his grandmother and his partner. The central piece is his relationship with his partner, a submissive woman, who is essentially held captive. The life of the movie are his attempts to fully control her every single thought and move. He sees a relationship as this assimilation in which he expectes her to surrender all of herself to him. At the same time, he hides a lot from her. She is okay with their current arrangement, so it seems, but he is not, as he fears that she holds back some parts of herself. We do not know anything (or virtually anything) about any of the characters. All we know is what is happening to them at that moment. No one discusses the past. Likewise, very little of their inner beings is revealed. Their dialogue is repetitive and rarely brings something new, except for a few scenes. What a contrast from Proust's writing, in which the inner narrative is so rich! I think omitting a narrator was not a good idea. The movie becomes repetitive and boring; as much as varied forms of symbolism can be derived, it is overall flat. The final scenes are deliberately elusive: dark night scenes. Nothing like an elusive end to annoy even more an already annoyed/ bored viewer... And that very final scene... How long did it last?
My final words about the movie: a story that offers, in an implicit and explicit way, several points to add to a discussion about male, female, relationships and love. A movie that is dull and not very well executed.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
William L
A very slow, ponderous duel of what those in relationships expect from one another; on one hand, their is the neurotic and possessive Simon (Stanislas Merhar), who contends that to truly love someone all must be laid bare before one another, while his girlfriend Ariane (Sylvie Testud) claims that a certain air of unknowability and private thoughts are something that she craves. Simon's beliefs gradually take on an increasingly paranoid form, as he follows Ariane throughout her day without her knowledge to confirm that he fidelity and trustworthiness, but even without a glaring lie to catch her in his paranoia only grows. In that scenario, who is the titular captive? Simon, who is caught in a self-imposed web of fear that he seemingly cannot escape, or Ariane, the subject of his interrogations and controlling nature?
The conflict between the feminine and masculine is interestingly presented and both the atmosphere and detailed composition that Akerman (of Jeanne Dielman fame) presents is heavy, but your enjoyment of the film will largely depend on just how engaging you feel the particularly slow pacing that the director favors to be. Not a film for all moods. I think the suggestion of critic Jeremy Heilman, that The Captive is like a "more inert version of Antonioni's L'Avventura", is relatively apt. (3.5/5)
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/29/22
Full Review
Audience Member
Genuine about relationships, took a while to get into.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Chantal Akerman's La Captive is loosely based on Marcel Proust's novel La Prisonnière. It's the story about a wealthy man, Simon and his girlfriend Ariane, whom he suspects have an affair with another woman. Simon confronts her with this statement, but Ariane denies this, but Simon knows better and think it's best if they separate and not repress their feelings. But it isn't that easy at all.
Even though I haven't read any of Marcel Proust's work, this film is one of those film adaptions that you know too darn well never should have been made into a movie, because of all the things going on inside their heads. It's too long, it's too slow and some of the character's actions is just too sentimental and bourgeoisie. But I did like the discussions, which were interesting, realistic and complex, just like in real life relationships. There's also some quite good sex scenes as well. But it was just too static, like a play or an "artistic" Antonioni film. Thumbs down.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
Full Review
Audience Member
you'll be wishing the lead character would drive his car off the road, just to make it end.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
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