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Review: Nathalie… (2003) ★★★½

<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">As an American&comma; I always admire the cavalier attitude that the French seem to have toward sex&period; A friend of mine recently admitted that French people &lpar;of which he is one&rpar; will frequently discuss their sex lives openly and without reservation&comma; but are surprisingly tight-lipped about personal finances&period; Americans don’t usually like to talk about either subject in a public setting&comma; though the latter is probably more likely to come up among friends than the former&period; Naturally these stereotypes don’t hold true all the time&comma; but there is a much greater sense of sexual freedom in French cinema&comma; and one can only imagine that this is a reflection of actual cultural sentiments&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">In Anne Fontaine’s <em>Nathalie…<&sol;em> &lpar;sometimes billed as <em>Nathalie X<&sol;em>&rpar;&comma; sex is a source of both pain and pleasure&comma; an irresistible urge and an overwhelming burden&period; Catherine &lpar;Fanny Ardant&rpar; is happily married to Bernard &lpar;Gérard Depardieu&rpar;&comma; until she discovers that he has been cheating on her&period; She becomes rather despondent&comma; but does not wish to reveal what she knows to him&period; Instead&comma; Catherine seeks out the services of Nathalie &lpar;Emmanuelle Béart&rpar;&comma; a high-end escort who works at a nearby club&period; She pays Nathalie to begin an affair with Bernard&comma; and report back to her with all of the sordid details&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Though there is certainly a sense of tension that gradually builds&comma; the film is a slow burn&comma; making us engage with the story without needing to bombard us with attention-grabbing revelations&semi; we are also left to understand the characters based on their expressions and the mood of the story&comma; rather than excessive exposition&period; Catherine becomes increasingly detached from her life&comma; allowing her sense of betrayal to build with each new lie Bernard tells her&period; Fanny Ardant is incredible as a woman who sees her life falling apart all around her&comma; and rather than trying to mend it&comma; actively encourages her husband&&num;8217&semi;s indiscretions to continue&period; Béart is equally convincing as the seductive&comma; professional&comma; if not entirely trustworthy escort&period; From years of pleasing people for money&comma; she has honed her skills and developed a keen awareness of the subtle communications we send&comma; intentionally or otherwise&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;1327" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-1327" style&equals;"width&colon; 850px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-1327" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;02&sol;73673177-300x127&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"359" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-1327" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Nathalie&&num;8230&semi; &lpar;2003&rpar;<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">While <em>Nathalie…<&sol;em> does feature a rather jarring twist in the final act&comma; the plot proceeds much as one would expect after the pieces have all been set&period; Nathalie’s relationship with Bernard grows more and more intimate&comma; and her meetings with Catherine become increasingly uncomfortable as a result&period; Catherine never loses her poise and sense of righteous indignation&comma; but she still struggles to hide the pain that Bernard’s betrayal has caused her&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">The story and performances in <em>Nathalie…<&sol;em> are both engaging and superbly executed&comma; which is why the technical aspects of the film are so disappointing&period; The camerawork is simplistic&comma; though this is not necessarily a problem&period; The camera pans from person to person&comma; giving us the best possible vantage point of the action&comma; but offers us little in terms of experimentation or interesting mise en scène&period; However where the film really falls short is the editing&period; Rather than allowing the editing to either disappear into the film&comma; or standout as particularly innovative&comma; it comes across as amateur and noticeably subpar&period; In a competently cut film&comma; scenes blend together organically&comma; allowing our minds to understand the significance of the filmmaker’s juxtapositions without being distracting&comma; but that is simply not the case in this film&period; Some sequences end rather abruptly&comma; while others fade to black at awkward moments&comma; only to fade back in when the action has only advanced by a few seconds&period; It is surprising to see such strange technical choices from such a talented group of artists&comma; and it takes away from an otherwise exceptional and under-appreciated film&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Despite its shortcomings&comma; <em>Nathalie…<&sol;em> is a fascinating rumination on the quagmire that is infidelity&comma; as well as the complexities of sexual attraction and intimacy&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Rating&colon; <&sol;span><span class&equals;"s2">&starf;&starf;&starf;<&sol;span><span class&equals;"s1">&half; out of 5<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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