Montmartre:
This first story is not the most engaging, unfortunately, but it’s by no
means the weakest. It tells the story of a man (Bruno Podalydès), who parks
his car on a Montmartre street and reflects about how the women passing by
his car all seem to be "taken". Then a woman (Florence Muller) passes by,
fainting near his car, and he comes to her aid.
While short, this
particular “arrondissement” is compelling
in that it manages to tell a suitably interesting story in less than ten
minutes. Direction is solid and performances are good, and although the
“plot” (for a lack of a better word) doesn’t arrive to a definite
conclusion, it doesn’t leave the viewer wondering what else could have
happen. (This happens, as you’ll read later, with some of the latter
stories.)
Quais de Seine:
This second
arrondissement is an
improvement over the first one. It tells the story of
a young man (Cyril
Descours), who hangs out with two friends who taunt all women who walk by.
After a small accident, he suddenly strikes up a friendship with a young
Muslim woman (Leïla Bekhti).
This second story
also manages to tell its “plot” in a very short time, but is more
successful than the previous one in that a.) it’s more engaging, and b.)
it’s funny and has “warmer” performances. The young actors seem to be more
comfortable with their roles – they look natural when reciting their
lines – and dialogue feels real. A particular comment about the young Muslim
girl – one about Osama Bin Landen and bombs – while racist, (I guess that
was the point), made some members of the audience near me burst in laughter,
I’m afraid.
Le Marais:
Gus Van Sant’s arrondissement is kinda weird. It tells the story of a young
male customer (Gaspard Ulliel) finds himself attracted to a young printshop
worker (Elias McConnell). He tries to explain to him what he feels, but he
doesn’t realize that that he speaks little French.
I particularly didn’t
like this third story so much. Performances are all right, I guess, but
they’re also a little cold and slow for my taste. I get the fact that
McConnell doesn’t speak so much because he knows little French, but Ulliel’s
performance is… awkward. Also, I don’t know if it was also me, but you
really don’t get the point of the story. Van Sant’s direction is all
right, but it really didn’t feel as if the story fit within the
movie. It could have been part of any, non-Parisian film, actually.
Tuileries:
Joel and Ethan Coen’s
arrondissement is one of my favourites. It tells the story of an American
tourist (Steve Buscemi) waiting at the Tuileries station. He becomes
involved in the conflict between a young couple (Axel Kiener and Julie
Bataille) after he makes eye contact with the former, who gets angry because
he thinks he’s trying to take a look at his girlfriend.
This story would fit in
the “short and sweet” category. It’s funny, it’s quirky, it’s wonderfully
directed and written, and it features a winning performance by Steve Buscemi.
It makes fun not only of American tourists (the character has apparently
bought hundreds of Mona Lisa postcards and souvenirs), but also of myths
regarding the City of Love. (The Coens hilariously take the French “avoid
eye contact” rule as seriously as possible.)
Loin du 16e:
This one, while technically savvy and well-acted, is pretty pointless. It
tells the story of a young Latino woman (Catalina Sandino Moreno) who sings
a Spanish lullaby to her baby before leaving it in a daycare. She then takes
a really long trip to the home of her wealthy employer (who is never
identified), where she sings the same lullaby to her employer's baby.
OK, OK, I get the
message. She is not precisely wealthy, and she has to give up her baby in a
daycare in order to take care of someone else’s baby and sing him the same
lullaby she sings to her own child. It’s the execution that I don’t like.
This particular short is too overtly-serious and, well, boring, for my
taste. Sandino Moreno’s performance is fine, but considering the director is
Walter Salles (who helmed the excellent Motorcycle Diaries and the
underrated Dark Water remake), it could have been more creative and
more compelling.
Porte de Choisy:
This is definitely
the weirdest arrondissement. It tells the story of a beauty products
salesman (Barbet Schroeder) who makes a call on a Chinatown salon run by a
woman (Li Xin), who is, ugh… tougher than what our protagonist initially
thought.
This story is the most
random and awkward of the whole film. The “plot” is not clear at all, the
tone is lighthearted and ridiculous, and performances are over-the-top. At
laughed when the salon owner punched through the window (twice), and we
could see the people repairing it while she talked with the salesman. Apart
from that, this story is not particularly entertaining or memorable. It’s
entirely disposable, actually.
Bastile:
This is one of the most
melodramatic stories in the film. It tells the story of a man (Sergio
Castellitto) who plans to leave his wife (Miranda Richardson) for a much
younger girl, but instead decides to stay with her after she reveals a
terminal illness. Because of this, he manages to rediscover why he fell in
love with her in the first place.
The premise of this
arrondissement is pretty sad, and although the short itself is melodramatic,
it never goes over-the-top. It didn’t exactly make me cry, but it was
emotional enough to make the viewer care for the characters, despite the
obviously short running time. I like the fact that there’s no real
dialogue – the story is told through a voice over – and that the actors
manage to convey emotions through facial expressions and actions. Although
it’s not the most entertaining arrondissement, it’s definitely one of the
most powerful.
Place des Victoires:
This is, by
all means, the weakest and most disappointing arrondissement of all. It
tells the story of a mother (Juliette Binoche), who is grieving over the
death of her little boy (Martin Combes) and is comforted by a magical cowboy
(Willem Dafoe).
The short is as lame as
its premise. The “plot” is not told in a clear manner, Willem Dafoe is
underused as the magical cowboy (he appears in like four shots), Juliette
Binoche’s performance is overly-dramatic and unconvincing, and although the
director Nobuhiro Suwa tries to present us with a touching story, he never
manages to make it emotionally compelling. Additionally, the story’s
conclusion, apart from being excessively abstract, doesn’t really satisfy.
When I saw Binoche’s name printed on the film’s poster, I was impatiently
awaiting her performance; having her in such a mediocre arrondissement is a
complete disappointment.
Tour Eiffel:
One of my favorite
arrondissements. It is about a boy tells how his parents, both mime artists
(Paul Putner and Yolande Moreau), meet in prison and fall in love.
This is one delightful
arrondissement. It’s funny, it’s cute, and it’s smart. The performances of
Putner and Moreau as mimes are memorable, and I like how sound effects are
applied for when they do several actions. The effect for when the drive
their car is pretty cool and funny too. It might be a little too
French for the taste of some viewers, or maybe too obviously lighthearted
but, for me, it was perfect: it told a simple and fun story in less than ten
minutes, and it features excellent performances and really funny situations.
Plus, it’s got mimes. What else would you want?
Parc Monceau:
While not one of the best, this particular arrondissement is really good. It
tells the story of an older man (Nick Nolte) and younger woman (the
immensely beautiful Ludivine Sagnier), who meet for an arrangement that a
third person (“Gaspard”), who is close to the woman, may not approve of. It
turns out that the young woman is the older man’s daughter, and that Gaspard
is actually her baby.
In true
Children of
Men fashion, Alfonso Cuarón decided to shoot this story in one
continuous shot, which makes it pretty interesting; you actually feel
as if you were walking beside the characters… I’m pretty sure that was
Cuarón’s aim. Script-wise, the arrondissement is very-well written, and the
final “twist” is as amusing as it is clever. Performances by Nolte and
Sagnier are solid, the former being his usual quirky self, and the latter
giving an almost-innocent quality to her character. All in all, it’s a
pretty solid short.
Quartier des Enfants
Rouges: I
think this is the darkest and most “mature” of the arrondissements. It tells
the story of an American actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who procures some
exceptionally strong drug from a dealer (Lionel Dray).
As usual, Maggie
Gyllenhaal gives a really wonderful performance, making her character as
believable as possible given the short running time of the story. The “plot”
of this arrondissement doesn’t really conclude in a satisfying fashion, but
it nevertheless manages to engage the viewer, showing a more realistic,
grittier and less romantic view of the City of Love. It’s not the most
entertaining short of all (I wouldn’t classify it as “fun”), but I liked how
it tried to break the mold and show that even a city like Paris is populated
by drugdealers and other kinds of low-life.
Place des fêtes:
This is another one
of my favorites. It tells the story of a Nigerian man (Seydou Boro), who is
dying from a stab wound in the Place des fêtes. He asks a woman paramedic
(Aïssa Maïga) for a cup of coffee, and then it is revealed that he had
fallen in love at first sight with her some time previously. By the time she
remembers him, though, and has received the coffee, he has passed.
For my money, this is
the most touching of the arrondissements. I like how the story starts in the
middle of the narrative, and how the reasons why the protagonist was stabbed
and how he got to know the woman paramedic are told in flashback. The fact
that we are presented with this situation from the get-go and gave to find
out little by little how the guy was stabbed is effective, and the ending…
well, it is sad, especially because it is only when the guy dies that the
girl realizes who he was. Good performances and a compelling story make this
one of the most enjoyable shorts.
Pigalle:
A delightful arrondissement. It tells the story of an aging couple (Bob
Hoskins and Fanny Ardant) who act out a fantasy argument for a prostitute in
order to keep the spark in their relationship.
Bob Hoskins is great,
as usual, and Fanny Ardant gives a really good performance too. In the
beginning the viewer is left confused because he/she doesn’t really know
what it happening (are these guys really strangers meeting at a
bar?), but the way it is eventually revealed that they are a fighting couple
is effective. The arrondissement is full of low-key humour and a touching
message; this, coupled with the effective performances, makes Pigalle
one of the most memorable stories in Paris je t’aime. (It seems I
tend to like almost everything Bob Hoskins makes an appearance in.)
Quartier de la
Madeleine:
My favorite arrondissement. It tells the story of a young backpacker tourist
(Elijah Wood) who falls in love with a vampiress (the extremely hot Olga
Kurylenko).
Quartier de la
Madeleine is
the most original and enjoyable of all the stories. It starts as a horror
type of short, (we have a vampire, a frightened young protagonist and tons
of bright red blood that contrasts with the almost black-and-white
photography), and ends up being more of a romantic story. I like the fact
that Vincenzo Natali gave a twist to the typical romantic story set in
Paris, and I couldn’t help laughing when beautiful Olga turned the tourist
into a vampire and they started to kiss/sucking each other’s blood as an act
of “love.” Although I understand it won’t be everyone’s favorite, one just
can’t deny the fact that it’s the most original short in
Paris je t’aime.
Père-Lachaise:
This one tells the story of a young woman (Emily Mortimer) visiting Père
Lachaise Cemetery, who breaks up with her fiancé (Rufus Sewell). The latter
eventually then redeems himself with the aid of advice from the ghost of
Oscar Wilde (Alexander Payne).
While watching the
film, I initially thought that Wes Craven had directed the vampire story,
when he actually directed this particular arrondissement. Although it starts
like a typical break-up/romance story, it ends up with a supernatural touch,
and manages not to be exaggeratedly corny. Performances by Rufus
Sewell and Emily Mortimer are strong, as always, and although the plot is
very predictable, I nevertheless enjoyed the short. Actually, it’s so
love-driven, well-written and well-directed, that I would find it almost
impossible for anyone not to enjoy it.
Faubourg Saint-Denis:
This is the
“Natalie Portman arrondissement.” It tells the story of a young blind man
(Melchior Beslon) who, after mistakenly believing that his girlfriend, a
struggling actress, (Portman) has broken up with him, reflects on the growth
and seeming decline of his relationship with her.
I liked this short in a
more technical level than the others. Natalie Portman’s performance is just
OK, and Melchior Beslon’s appearance as his blind boyfriend is not bad, but
the sequence I liked the most is the collage of the two of the standing
together in many places in France, each successive set of images showing how
they have started to grow apart: at first, they are embraced; then they are
standing a metre from each other; then they are back to back and separated,
and then, they are completely absent. A compelling message and a cool
college sequence make this short enjoyable yet unmemorable.
Quartier Latin:
Another delightful arrondissement. It tells the story of a separated couple
(Ben Gazzara and Gena Rowlands), who meet at a bar (run by Gérard Depardieu)
for one last drink before the two officially divorce.
This short’s two
greatest assets are the screenplay and the performances. Gérard Depardieu is
almost invisible, but is doesn’t matter because: a.) he directed the short,
and b.) Rowlands and Gazzara are delightful in their respective roles. One
actually believes they have been married for years and that they know
each other really well. Dialogue is clever and funny, too (I like Gazzara’s
final line to Rowlands, hehe), and the story as a whole is immensely
compelling and entertaining. This is one classy short.
14e arrondissement:
The final one. It tells the story of Carol (Margo Martindale), a letter
carrier from Denver, Colorado, who is on her first European holiday, and is
reciting (in horribly-pronounced French) what she loves about Paris.
