Review of Nenette and Boni (1997) by Ryan M — 18 Jul 2009

Why 'Nenette et Boni' hasn't enjoyed greater distribution and more widespread recognition I don't know; the film is so wonderfully alive, and it's entirely less obtuse than either 'Beau Travail' or 'L'Intrus' (two other Denis films that attracted more press and saw quicker home-video releases). With 'Nenette et Boni', Claire Denis has made a film that plays like beautiful, sensual music. Though the narrative is slight, Denis gets incredible mileage out of her material, creating an admixture that's at once endearing and thought-provoking.

Some reactions:

As in the later 'L'Intrus', Denis here steadfastly avoids nearly all of the conventional filmic tropes for signaling shifts into unreality, making 'Nenette' seem as oneiric as it is raw and direct. Colin, Tedeschi, and Houri make lovely subjects for Godard's probing, almost autonomous camera; I really got to feeling like no dialogue could create as palpable a sense of intimacy as Godard's lucid images (there's a bit of Bresson in her studied cinematographic touch). Furthermore, the arrangement of the scenes creates surprisingly intense poignancy. Tedeschi and Gallo's romantic sequences for example are all the more touching in the relief of Colin's solipsistic masturbation (Denis makes character absences felt as deeply as presences). And then there's the extraordinary soundtrack. Stuart Staples' score is so well-attuned to the color and lilt of the cinematography, and his moving "Tiny Tears" theme is thankfully not abused -- in fact it's utilized perfectly (this viewer choked up a bit, anyway). Finally, the improbable ending gives the film real character and staying power. The effect is somewhat akin to that achieved by Lindsay Anderson in 'If...', wherein the film becomes intensely reflexive and the deep-seated, anomic impulses of the subjects flower into surreal spectacle. It's somehow both moving and frightening.

I really can't recommend this movie enough. It's certainly the most accessible Denis work I've yet seen, and it's perhaps her most immediately engaging and humanistic study of sensuality. I look forward to making this masterpiece a more "open" secret than it is currently.