Review of Mouchette (1967) by Tim H — 31 Dec 2007

'Twas a very Criterion Christmas this year (to my enjoyment.) Unfortunately since Christmas, I have only had time to watch one of these Criterions, but thank God it was Mouchette.

Okay, this film is crazy short. I don't know why it took me so long. And I'm going to put this out there. This is a depressing story. The entire time, the storyline just calls for this little girl to get shat on some more. Okay, not literally, but there is very little good that happens to this girl in this movie. Really, it is the honest portrayal of how society really breeds antisocial behavior. Everyone treats little Mouchette like crap, yet are always surprised when she acts out at inappropriate times? Her disappointment with life is only natural and makes darned sense.

But more important than the storylines, in some ways, is the use of words in this movie. Dialogue really is minimal in this film, which makes everything said all that much more powerful. While I could guess that 50% of the things said in this movie are degrading and negative, it doesn't beat a dead horse simply because there isn't that much verbally expressed. Mouchette's intentional silence also makes her words powerful. When she is forced to sing, you see how much torment she is going through over a song (that wildly parallels her situation). Also, I love me some well delivered metaphors. But I hate poorly delivered metaphors. (For an example of a poorly delivered metaphor, watch George Romero's Land of the Dead when the money falls in front of the screen while a building burns. LAAAAAAMMMMEE!) Bresson really uses metaphor subtly and well with the beautiful dress on the thorns. It is in the close of the film, but that left me right in the perfect place to leave this story. It is well contained and well paced, with moments of absolute darkness. I applaud Robert Bresson for not spoonfeeding me most of the story and allowing me to absorb these horrible moments on my own.