2 Days In Paris
2007
Julie Delpy
I love Julie Delpy. I have honestly not seen her in enough things although I know her to be in some great films by legendary directors Goddard and Krysztof Kieslowski (hardest name to spell ever) but I've only seen her in the two 'Before' films and now this and she has already convinced me to sell my soul to her. She had contributed with screenwriting in the two 'Before' films (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset) and this is reflected in the keen conversational dialogue, and very short time span of this film (the movie is in the span of two days as the name suggests).
2 Days in Paris I loved, initially, I thought it was too similar to Before Sunrise - it opened with a train sequence, the very familiar setting, and the very casual and natural style. It diverged into something that was more intoxicating to watch - it was hilarious, it was cringe worthy and it was sometimes, pretty scary.
To break it down: 2 Days in Paris is about a couple that has been traveling around Europe, but they are not a Hollywood storybook couple, they're a real couple who are very aware of their ups and their downs. Julie Delpy is Marion, a French Photographer who has an apartment in very close proximity of her parents (upstairs to be exact) and Adam Goldberg (the creepy flatmate from 'Friends', Dazed and Confused) is her boyfriend of two years, Jack. Jack who is not a French native become entrapped in the swirl of the confusing language as well as the intimidating town, and the omniscience presence of Marion's ex-boyfriends. Consequently, he gets more and more paranoid about the goings-ons of his girlfriend.
Although described so uneloquently and very one dimensionally Delpy creates a complex and sweet and comedic film that is one parts Annie Hall and one part Before Sunrise. The humor is mostly derived from the banter of the couple 'Do I smell like cancer? Do I smell like a tumor?' as well as the awkward moments with the overly comfortable family including some very brash naked photos of Jack. The Anne Hall influence is prominent stylistically in the voice overs, the very obvious setting of the love of one town and the charming out-of-place sun soaked scenes of childhood to fill in the gaps.
Throughout the film it has a slight undertone of Paris as this foreign and scary place - almost all men objectify and belittle women - a wife beater taxi diver, a racist, an overly forward one that suggests they make babies to Marion, and a man on the subway that would stand unreasonably and disturbingly close to Marion was especially uncomfortable to watch. Paris seemed ridiculously scary, the strangers rude, the culture unable to be translated into something we would understand. It created this really unnerving culture shock of a place that was so intimidating; the food on the table resembled too much of the pet rabbits that you used to have as a child, and the artists created strange sex obsessed works of art. It captured Paris in a light that i had never seen portrayed before, but one that made me so fearful that I did not want to visit it. I think Julie Delpy did this as a creative decision to avoid the cliches and to provide a form of a culture shock to us too, which were all very distinctly French - and I guess the only 'touristy' thing we saw physically was Jim Morrison's grave (not a view of the Louvre or Eiffel tower anywhere to be seen) although this seediness was too much for me to handle at times, although it did accurately represent, or allowed us to also feel the insecurity and understanding of Jack's mind.
Finally, there is an amazing incredible operatic finale to this film. There is a voice over of Marion talking about the nature of relationships (and there is so much real-ness to this little heartfelt speech I can not help but adore this film). She talks about how we deceive each other into thinking the person we are with is 'the one' although when you break up, you will slowly drift apart and they will not mean anything to you anymore, and you to them. How love can dissipate so quickly, from loving one moment to nothing. It concluded the entire film beautifully and explained and justified everything that had happened previously. It was wonderful. It captured the overwhelming complexities and the multifaceted nature of relationships, the good parts, the bad, the naked pictures, the paranoia, the annoyances, (well I guess in this case a lot of annoyances) but also the ex-boyfriends and the public outbursts and the little tongue and cheek banter.
All in all, two days in Paris is a great, unconventional and unexpectedly enjoyable film. It avoids tropes and the way that it tell its story with such raw emotion is beautiful. And P.S. I love you Julie Delpy.
Although described so uneloquently and very one dimensionally Delpy creates a complex and sweet and comedic film that is one parts Annie Hall and one part Before Sunrise. The humor is mostly derived from the banter of the couple 'Do I smell like cancer? Do I smell like a tumor?' as well as the awkward moments with the overly comfortable family including some very brash naked photos of Jack. The Anne Hall influence is prominent stylistically in the voice overs, the very obvious setting of the love of one town and the charming out-of-place sun soaked scenes of childhood to fill in the gaps.
Throughout the film it has a slight undertone of Paris as this foreign and scary place - almost all men objectify and belittle women - a wife beater taxi diver, a racist, an overly forward one that suggests they make babies to Marion, and a man on the subway that would stand unreasonably and disturbingly close to Marion was especially uncomfortable to watch. Paris seemed ridiculously scary, the strangers rude, the culture unable to be translated into something we would understand. It created this really unnerving culture shock of a place that was so intimidating; the food on the table resembled too much of the pet rabbits that you used to have as a child, and the artists created strange sex obsessed works of art. It captured Paris in a light that i had never seen portrayed before, but one that made me so fearful that I did not want to visit it. I think Julie Delpy did this as a creative decision to avoid the cliches and to provide a form of a culture shock to us too, which were all very distinctly French - and I guess the only 'touristy' thing we saw physically was Jim Morrison's grave (not a view of the Louvre or Eiffel tower anywhere to be seen) although this seediness was too much for me to handle at times, although it did accurately represent, or allowed us to also feel the insecurity and understanding of Jack's mind.
Finally, there is an amazing incredible operatic finale to this film. There is a voice over of Marion talking about the nature of relationships (and there is so much real-ness to this little heartfelt speech I can not help but adore this film). She talks about how we deceive each other into thinking the person we are with is 'the one' although when you break up, you will slowly drift apart and they will not mean anything to you anymore, and you to them. How love can dissipate so quickly, from loving one moment to nothing. It concluded the entire film beautifully and explained and justified everything that had happened previously. It was wonderful. It captured the overwhelming complexities and the multifaceted nature of relationships, the good parts, the bad, the naked pictures, the paranoia, the annoyances, (well I guess in this case a lot of annoyances) but also the ex-boyfriends and the public outbursts and the little tongue and cheek banter.
All in all, two days in Paris is a great, unconventional and unexpectedly enjoyable film. It avoids tropes and the way that it tell its story with such raw emotion is beautiful. And P.S. I love you Julie Delpy.
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