Title: Pretentious, ponderous and empty
Product review: Despite the number of good reviews (some fervent) this film has received, I'm afraid the emperor has no clothes. I prefer foreign films; they are more willing to look at the human condition and subtly explore the difficulty of truly relating to others -- something usually avoided in Hollywood product. But in the end, I truly disliked this film, particularly because it is so pretentious and ponderous. It's a very lazy film that tries to hide the fact behind its flashy film-school techniques. The director obviously believes he's in uncharted territory when he makes his obvious points about prejudice coming from all quarters and uses long (very long) takes. It results in a dismal, irritating viewing experience. Binoche, however, gives -- as usual -- a wonderful performance. For films with true emotion and valid, creative use of real-time technique, try a truly great director, Eric Rohmer ("Summer" and "Boyfriends and Girlfriends," in particular).
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