Review of Betty (1992) by Arin D — 10 Jul 2008
A decidedly odd character study. We never find out why the elegant alcoholic, Laure, adopts Betty, a drunken wastrel she picks up from a seedy bar called The Hole. Neither do we discover why Betty is the way she is.
Like many of Chabrol's female leads, she remains mysteriously opaque. We watch in a kind of fascinated horror as she smokes, drinks herself into a stupor, and sleeps with any man who attempts to pick her up.
Why? Well, Chabrol provides clues but no answers. The twist, when it comes, is also entirely unexpected. What drives us to watch this film, is, in fact, largely curiosity. Nothing is what it seems, nobody is quite what they appear to be.
Marie Trintignant is, of course, marvellous as Betty, a cold-as-ice seductress, fatally attractive because of her seeming helplessness.
This review of Betty (1992) was written by Arin D on 10 Jul 2008.
Betty has generally received positive reviews.
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