This is a strange movie
A divorced couple gets letters from their son who committed suicide. When the son was 7 the mother left the family, never to see the son again and the father then put him in a boarding school, to see him rarely.
They both get instructions to go to death valley and do some sight seeing together, then the son will appear to them once more he writes. This is however only a side element of the movie, the real thing is the interaction between the couple: The very huge Gerard Depardieu and the fragile Isabelle Huppert who came together on the screen 35 years ago, when they were still attractive, in the movie Loulou.
The movie has some very memorable quotes that may or may not refer to the lives of the actors
GD: I have become fat IH: Well as long as you feel good GD: (irritated) do you think I feel good about it
and
GD: do you still love me IH: When you do not still love someone you were married to you never loved him anyway
The dull Americans with their fake smiles probably gives an idea how they think about Americans. The dead dog head in the toilet makes you wonder what the reference is.
Al these moments make the movie very worthwhile, the reappearance of the son is only an excuse for the film. I found I wasn't so much wondering about if the son would really appear or not. I was much more fascinated by the odd moments, dialogs and the confrontation of the couple and how they have difficulty to talk about their personal problems.
It is not a shockingly good movie but very fascinating
A divorced couple gets letters from their son who committed suicide. When the son was 7 the mother left the family, never to see the son again and the father then put him in a boarding school, to see him rarely.
They both get instructions to go to death valley and do some sight seeing together, then the son will appear to them once more he writes. This is however only a side element of the movie, the real thing is the interaction between the couple: The very huge Gerard Depardieu and the fragile Isabelle Huppert who came together on the screen 35 years ago, when they were still attractive, in the movie Loulou.
The movie has some very memorable quotes that may or may not refer to the lives of the actors
GD: I have become fat IH: Well as long as you feel good GD: (irritated) do you think I feel good about it
and
GD: do you still love me IH: When you do not still love someone you were married to you never loved him anyway
The dull Americans with their fake smiles probably gives an idea how they think about Americans. The dead dog head in the toilet makes you wonder what the reference is.
Al these moments make the movie very worthwhile, the reappearance of the son is only an excuse for the film. I found I wasn't so much wondering about if the son would really appear or not. I was much more fascinated by the odd moments, dialogs and the confrontation of the couple and how they have difficulty to talk about their personal problems.
It is not a shockingly good movie but very fascinating