If I told you I watched a movie about an old man, a young woman, and Paris, entitled Last Love, you might very well think it was a reboot of Last Tango in Paris.
And you would be wrong. This movie is not that. No, not that at all.
If you start with Michael Caine, it’s a good bet you’ve got a good movie. He has proven, especially in the past two decades, just how versatile he is as an actor. From the slow, patient Garth in Secondhand Lions to the volatile title character in Harry Brown, Caine brings his best to each role, large or small. In Last Love, he plays Matthew Morgan, a retired philosophy professor, an ex-pat American widower living in Paris. Matthew assiduously refuses to become even the least bit French, unapologetically communicating in English despite residing there for years. He lives alone in his cavernous apartment, an ocean separating him from his complicated family. Each morning, the paper arrives; he puts it, unread, in a stack by the door. He is locked in self-isolation, like the closed shutters that block his view of the world outside his windows.
A chance encounter brings him together with Pauline, played by Clémence Poésy. Younger viewers will know Poésy as Fleur Delacour from the Harry Potter movies, but those of us with a bit more grey in our hair will recognize her from movies such as In Bruges, Birdsong, and as Isabella in The Hollow Crown‘s Richard II. The relationship that grows out of this meeting is sweet, poignant, and unpredictable, bringing life and light to Matthew’s solitude.
What follows, however, is not what I expected. I’ll give away nothing to spoil it, and merely say that as Pauline’s light enters Matthew’s life, it illuminates his darkest corners, often in painful ways. A supporting cast that includes Jane Alexander, Justin Kirk, and the unmatchable Gillian Anderson elevates this drama to an exceptional level.
Impressive, too, is the quality of writing, and by this I don’t just mean the dialogue. There are entire sections wherein not a single word is spoken, and they are some of the most effective the movie offers. This sort of writing, wholly believable in its emotional content but full of stillness and introspection, works well to advance the characters’ relationships and further the story’s action, and is worth noting.
This is the type of story I hope to someday be able to write. Quiet, human, layered, unhurried, and yet surprisingly fresh, it engaged me entirely. Wholly recommended.
k
I’m looking forward to watching this. It sounds like a piece of art. Thanks for the post!
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De nada!
k
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Harry Brown – a great performance by Caine, but possibly the most depressing film I have seen in the whole of my life.
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You haven’t seen _Melancholia_, have you? Or _Interiors_, for that matter… 😉
But yes, a great performance by Caine that easily stands up with his many others.
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