In The City of Sylvia

After a couple of minutes I thought this was going to be the slowest, dullest film of the year. It couldn't be more European arthouse if it tried: slow, minimal dialogue, even more minimal plot. However, the film becomes oddly hypnotic. Whereas the young protagonist is obsessed with finding the mysterious Sylvie whom he met 6 years ago, the audience finds themselves noticing recurring motifs and activities in the city: the limping man who's always carrying flowers (a new bouquet every day? the same one? for whom?); the grafitti proclaiming "Laure, je t'aime" (an equally obsessed male? something more cryptic?); the itinerant African street vendor who sports a nifty little umbrella hat. The hero focuses on women as he searches for Sylvie, constantly observing, drawing, following, but the sound design and camera placement provide access to a broader arena. Life goes on around the hero, even if he's mostly oblivious to it. By the end, the viewer not only comes to recognize particular streets but also recognizes faces of passersby. In a sense we know more about the city than the man who has been there for 3 days.