35 Shots of Rum

This is the sort of film that only the French can make. Nothing much happens but you glean a vast amount of information from the body language, facial expressions and physical interaction of the characters. A good job really as none of the characters is particularly talkative. They don't need to be as they know each other so well. Several characters comment that Lionel doesn't say much, though after encountering Jo's chatty German aunt, that counts as a good thing. The scene in a bar, after hours, is a textbook example of how to convey large amounts of information about changing relationships without anyone saying a word. Various characters dance together while others watch and by the end of those few minutes, everything has subtly altered. The other notable feature of the film is the amount of beauty it finds in the maligned Parisian suburbs, especially after night. The train windows gleaming with light are echoed by the lights in windows and on the streets, resembling a jewel-like abstract painting. It all remains totally grounded in reality yet never acquires that dull, dreary look which so bedevils British films, nor do you feel it's the rose-coloured spectacles approach. As I said, only the French ...