Both Sides of the Blade

I have to say, the movie had me intrigued I wanted to know what was going to happen. The character of Jean in its whole was brilliant, with minor mishaps. But Binoche’s character on the other hand, for me was complete and utter mess, even making you feel uncomfortable. Especially when Jean has the talk with Francois and confronts Sara. Oh what a mess of a scene. Anyways, would not Recommend but also wouldn’t trash it, I saw it till the end. Oh and also, lots of things left unsaid in the movie - Why did Francois and Sara end their relationship ( the first time) , why did Jean go to prison , why was Sara so obsessed with Francois.. why was the relationship between Jean and Francois so weird?

I'm not entirely convinced that all of the themes churning around here come together but boy is this well acted. Everyone is playing the subtext of every scene perfectly.

Claire Denis made a film that is a mess. There's nobody to root for as most of the characters are painted as distant. There are some loose ends that aren't explained and that's ok, but the third act is so unrewarding that it makes you regret watching the parts that led you there. There is a sense of dread that makes the viewer think there could be something violent about to happen. The music lead is ultimately frustrating. Juliette Binoche is wonderful. What about these random racial statements? What was the purpose of the add on to the family? Many questions, but there will be no answers that matter. Final Score: 2.8/10

una buena pelicular, casi poética en ciertas escenas, la historia es mas de mismo sobre la mujer infiel pero desde otro punto de vista, es interesante, con un final esplendido.

Intense movie about romantic relationships in French culture. I think a lot was lost in translation for me. I find it hard to believe that relationships become this intense in French culture but perhaps it's normal. not my favorite film although it was well done and Binoche carries the movie.

Juliette Binoche is terrific.

The performances were strong but the pace and structure of the film was off. I became agitated and fidgety and was happy when it ended. There were some scenes that almost redeemed the film but too many scenes that dragged it down.

Claire Denis has made another worthy film in "Both Sides of the Blade", the name coming a song by Tindersticks Denis felt really spoke to the theme(s) of the film. Denis' experience with such very mature subject matter and characters of such depth shows brightly in bringing to life the realism of intense, passionate relationships, especially those involving people of a certain age. These are people who feel the potential for loss of such intense bonds more deeply than younger couples would, I feel, as they know how rare they can be, and just how very difficult it is to start over at their age. Denis and co-writer Christine Angot composed dialogue that shows how deeply in love Sara and Jean are. We feel how passionate they still are for one another in their conversations, their words when being intimate, and how volatile they are when it feels like their life together may be fracturing. Less effective is the subplot of Jean's mother and the rather estranged relationship with his son. I did like the sort of postscript scene during the end credits. It was one of hope for Jean and Marcus in the future. And this comes right after we find Sara having to start fresh in a sense with the symbolic fried phone and Jean's reaction to her silence. Binochet and Lindon are stellar. She never fails to knock me out with her ability to become these new characters in each film that feel so authentic and multidimensional. Lindon embodies a man who is still trying to rebuild his life after prison and not being present as his son grew up. The film does verge on melodrama at points. The character of Francois, a rather greasy, noxious figure, imo, is played well by Gregoire Colin. Sara's seemingly easy transitions to and strong desire toward being with Francois was well written and acted as well. It was in some of the screaming arguments and the somewhat overplayed affections that didn't quite work as well for me at times. Overall, another fine addition to Denis' and Binochet's careers. 3.3 stars

A morality tale on the nature of love and commitment with commentary on contemporary racial identity politics thrown in for good measure. In spite of stellar performances from the top-notch cast, the thin plot and lack of character development leaves much to be filled by the viewer. Like most of Claire Denis’ films, while the characters are familiar with one another, they’re never more than mere acquaintances to the audience, keeping them distant and uninvolved emotionally.

horrible not good boring