Thursday, April 25, 2013

A HEART IN WINTER (French) (1992)


‘But one can’t demystify feelings.’

There are films which can’t get over easily once you finished, it strips your emotions and sensibilities to inner truth without manipulation and create deep vibrations. I ended up watching one of the most beautiful and touching love story ever made. It echoes the universal sentiment in so sublime and sophisticated tone and at the same time captures the puzzling internal human nature of its characters.

This is my fifth Sautet film and without a doubt one of the most enriching experience. Though came as late flowering, it is surely his one of the best accomplishment as an artist. Unlike his earlier romantic triangle ‘Cesar et Rosalie’, this is more intense and serious in nature. Maxime is a middle aged man and a reputed violin shop owner is in relationship with young, beautiful and talented violinist Camille. Though various chance encounters somehow she attracts towards Maxime’s friend and partner Stephane who repairs violins in his shop. Now this sets a complex tug of attraction between two. Compared to open and frank Camille, the character of Stephane is reticent, aloof who likes to curb his emotions with fixed pride and detachment. From years he has built this closed world inside him and here he’s facing the woman who came as challenge to that self afflicted barrier. What we witness is touching secret affinity with the lives of three opaque characters. Sautet wonderfully plays with the slow disintegration of relationship between the trio without losing a balance.


Though each characters played their parts so sophisticatedly, the poetry of the film is Emmanuelle Beart who plays Camille and she’s another addition to the list of French actresses I just love for their grace and talent. The melodious notes of violin in chamber music reverberates the internal emotional vibrations the characters passing through and that encompassing us too as an audience.

What a lovely film!
 

No comments: