oublier cheyenne (looking for cheyenne)
2006
Directed: Valérie Minettot
Written: Valérie Minetto and Cécile Vargaftig
As I write this review in early 2008, truly watchable and enjoyable lesbian film is scarcer than it has been in ten years. Films like this are like relief from drought. Oublier Cheyenne is ambitious without trying too hard, quietly soulful without being sentimental, and full of ideas that are about lesbian lives rather than just the fact of "being" a lesbian. It's exactly the sort of grown-up lesbian film I would love to see more of and just can't imagine being made in the current American film climate.
Sonia (Aurelia Petit) is a high school teacher who loves her job and is one of those inspiring teachers we always wish we had or whom we remember fondly. She is mourning the departure of her lover Cheyenne (Mila Dekker), who we discover through various flashback sequences has been downsized from her position as a journalist in Paris, can't find another job and can't afford to live without the government handouts that are about to be cut off. Cheyenne reacts badly to her financial dependence on Sonia, finally deserting her to live "off the grid" in a cottage with no electricity, no running water and scavenging for or growing her own food.
Though they love each other passionately, Sonia and Cheyenne find that they can't reconcile their different wants from life - Cheyenne feels betrayed by the system and has a burning desire to escape, and Sonia can't imagine leaving her life and career behind to live in squalor. They are miserable together and miserable apart, and that is how our story begins.
Sonia tries to move on with her life without Cheyenne and hooks up with both Pierre (French heart-throb Malik Zidi) the sweet social revolutionary and the selfish player Beatrice (Guilaine Londez). Though they meet her sexual needs adequately enough, neither fill her with any sense of wonder or joy. They can't be what Cheyenne was, not only a lover, but a kind of sustenance for the soul that Sonia finds that she cannot do without. Resolving to see her, Sonia seeks out Cheyenne in the country and they begin again with the process of trying to compromise, for both their sakes.
Mixed up in the mess that is Sonia's life are a gorgeous young student convinced she needs to drop out who comes to Sonia for advice, and a Marxist crusader who lives on the land and constantly questions Cheyenne's commitment to her new, harsh existence. Cheyenne questions her own commitment too - is her pride so important that she can give up love for a lifetime of tramping around in the mud just to satisfy some philosophical ideal?
Oublier Cheyenne is both charming and fearless, a confident debut feature effort by writer-director Valerie Minetto that deserves much more recognition, both by lesbian and mainstream audiences, than it has received. In a time when lesbian films seem to be getting universally boring, glossy and/or facile, this was a welcome relief. Minetto's documentary background shines through as she injects real-life into the imaginary. She shows a deft touch with her direction, her sparse sets and lighting helping us to feel Sonia's despair, while still keeping the mood fresh and darkly comedic.
The performances in the film are excellent across the board. Aurelia Petit especially is fascinating to watch. She's dowdy and sexy at the same time and there's never a hint of questioning herself or her sexuality, she's just a lesbian teacher in love trying to negotiate her seemingly hopeless circumstances. When she finally decides to take control of her own fate she is comically resolute. I loved her performance as Sonia, and the chemistry between her and Dekker is palpable. I believed them as two ordinary women in love who have passion both for each other and their beliefs.
Mixed up throughout this love story is a serious commentary on the unemployed and disenfranchised in France today. Sonia finds herself sucked into the politics of those around her through no fault of her own, except an inability to really express what it is that she wants. She sees change everywhere: teachers at her school leave for higher paying private sector jobs, students drop out to become revolutionaries because they despair of the future. She sees corruption everywhere in the system but can't help believing that she still belongs inside it to help make it better, as much as Cheyenne feels the need to flee from it.
The personal becomes the political in this fascinating, relevant social portrait. It is just so excellent to see a story where lesbians exist within the world, not apart from it. It just goes to show, there really are thousands of different, interesting stories to be told about ordinary and extraordinary lesbian lives.
The fact that this is a French film is not at all surprising. Most of the good lesbian film (what there is of it) coming out right now is originating from France, Japan and Taiwan. The bright ideas of new queer cinema have deserted American shores and are finding homes elsewhere. I can only hope that some English-language filmmakers soon start to embrace some different concepts.
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译文:
在我写本次审查在2008年年初,真正watchable和愉快的同性恋电影稀少比过去十年。像这样的电影一样救济旱灾。 Oublier夏延雄心勃勃而不设法太硬,悄悄深情而感伤,和充分的思想是关于同性恋的生活,而不是仅仅的事实“是”一个女同性恋者。这正是那种长大的女同性恋电影我希望看到更多的和公正的无法想象取得了目前的美国电影的气氛。
索尼亚(奥雷利娅小)是一个高中老师谁爱她的工作,就是其中的一个鼓舞人心的教师,我们总是希望我们或我们记住深情。她是悼念离开她的情人夏延(米拉特德克尔) ,我们发现谁通过各种倒叙序列已被缩小到她的立场作为一名记者在巴黎,无法找到另一份工作,并不能生活在政府的施舍这是即将被切断。夏延反应,严重的财政依赖,她对索尼娅,最后她的生活逃兵“取消网格”的平房,没有电,没有自来水和清除或她自己的食品越来越多。
虽然他们彼此相爱热情,索尼娅和夏延发现,他们不能兼顾不同想从生活中-夏延背叛的感觉系统,具有强烈的欲望逃跑,和Sonia无法想象离开她的生活和职业落后生活在肮脏。他们是可怜可怜除了一起,这是我们的故事开始了。
索尼亚试图进入她的生活没有夏延和鱼钩了两个皮埃尔(法国心脏搏动马利克立迪)甜蜜的社会革命和自私的球员比阿特丽斯( Guilaine Londez ) 。虽然她的性需求满足不够充分,既填补她与任何意义上的怀疑或喜悦。它们不能什么夏延是,不仅是一个情人,而是一种生存的灵魂索尼亚认为,她不能没有。解决看到她,索尼娅皮卡寻找夏延在该国,他们再次开始的进程试图妥协,为他们的利益。
混杂在残局是索尼娅的生命是一个美丽的年轻学生深信她需要辍学谁到索尼亚的意见,与马克思主义的十字军战士谁生活的土地上,不断问题夏延的承诺,她的新的,严峻的生存。夏延问题自己承诺过-是她的骄傲,使重要的是,她可以放弃爱一生踏遍周围的泥土只是为了满足一些哲学理想?
Oublier夏延既迷人和无畏,一个自信的首部电影的努力,导演兼编剧瓦莱丽Minetto ,应该更加认识到,无论是同性恋和主流观众,而不是已收到。在女同性恋电影的时候似乎是越来越普遍乏味,光泽和/或轻率,这是一个值得欢迎的救济。 Minetto的纪录片的背景,她的光芒,通过注入现实生活中的假想敌。她显示了娴熟的触摸她的方向,她稀疏集和照明帮助我们感到索尼娅的绝望,同时仍然保持新鲜和黑暗的情绪喜剧。
演出是在影片中出色的全面。奥雷利娅尤其是迷人的小收看。她的寒酸和性感的在同一时间,有没有一点质疑自己或她的性生活,她只是一个女同志教师热爱试图谈判她看来毫无希望的情况。当她最后决定将控制自己的命运,她是滑稽坚决。我爱她表现索尼娅和她之间的化学成分和特德克尔显而易见。我相信他们是两个普通恋爱中的女人谁也激情都为对方和自己的信念。
混在这个爱情故事,是一个严重的评失业和被剥夺在法国今天。索尼娅发现自己卷入政治的人身边没有犯错,她自己的,但无法真正表达的是什么,她想。她认为,变化无处不在:教师在她的学校假期支付更高的私营部门的就业机会,学生辍学成为革命者,因为他们绝望的未来。她认为,腐败无处不在的系统,但不能不相信,她仍然属于里面来帮助它更好地一样,夏延认为需要逃离它。
个人成为政治在这迷人的,有关社会的肖像。正是看到如此出色的故事在同性恋者存在于世界,而不是除了它。这向人展示了,真的有数千种不同的,有趣的故事是讲述同性恋一般和特殊的生活。
事实上,这是一个法国电影一点也不奇怪。大多数好的同性恋电影(什么是资讯科技)走出现在的问题是来自法国,日本和台湾。光明的想法新酷儿电影逃兵美洲海岸和发现其他地区的家园。我只能希望,一些英文电影很快开始接受一些不同的概念。
看的鸟语字幕版,看了lz的转发英文评论,才稍微明白一点。谢谢了!呃,PS.中文是google翻的吧
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