Category Archives: romance,

8,0-8,9, comedy, crime, drama,, male director, romance,

“Elle” (Paul Verhoeven, France 2016)

elle

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Writers: Philippe Djian (based on the novel by), David Birke (screenplay)
Actors: Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny

The “ever-mysterious sexual power within a woman”1 exudes not only  from the main female character, but even more strongly from the new equilibrium that the end of the movie sets in motion.

1 – ELLE: A Complex & Challenging Exploration Into Lurid Territory by Laura Birnbaum. Film Inquiry, Nov. 9, 2016 http://www.filminquiry.com/elle-2016-review/

7,0-7,9, crime, drama,, male director, romance,

“Gone Girl” (David Fincher, USA 2014)

gone-girl

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Gillian Flynn (screenplay), Gillian Flynn (novel)
Actors: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris

“The only time you liked yourself was when you were trying to be someone this cunt might like. I’m not a quitter, I’m that cunt. I killed for you; who else can say that? You think you’d be happy with a nice Midwestern girl? No way, baby! I’m it.”

8,0-8,9, comedy, drama,, female director, romance,

“Parched” (Leena Yadav, India 2015)

parched

Director: Leena Yadav
Writers: Supratik Sen (dialogue), Leena Yadav
Actors: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Lehar Khan

Domestic violence, honor, infertility, prostitution, child marriage, rape… These themes are treated in a traditional gender setting in Rajasthan.

The message of the movie is straightforward: while most men drink, commit adultery, are jealous and violent, women have fun, bring changes… and are at least as sexualized as their male counterparts.

7,0-7,9, crime, drama,, male director, romance,

“The Unfaithful” (Vincent Sherman, US 1947)

the-unfaithfu

Director: Vincent Sherman
Writers: David Goodis (original screenplay), James Gunn (original screenplay)
Actors: Ann Sheridan, Lew Ayres, Zachary Scott

Same year, same director, same actress, same infidelity theme as precedent movie (Nora Prentiss) but this one with a more traditional approach. As in Nora Prentiss, a film noir with no real bad guy (or bad girl), except for the greedy Martin Barrow (Steven Gearey).

Eve Arden steals the show, a feminine counterpart to George Sanders.