Last week, I watched Paris, je t'aime, a French movie with English subtitles by First Look Pictures. I forgot if the whole movie consisted of 18 vignettes/short-short or not (because in some shorts there were two directors) but I remember the hook/catch phrase they used: "Fall in Love 18 times." How was this movie, made up of lots of stories, going to be different from the other sappy romantic movies out there?
This movie is 120 minutes, and it's made up of short films from 18 different directors like Wes Craven, the Coen brothers, etc., and "a slew of indie actors," such as Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood, Juliette Binoche, and many more (35, Ritz Filmbill, May 2007).
Paris, je t'aime started out by showing clips from all the shorts (transparency, then I started thinking if the movie was going to come together like Alex Robinson's graphic novel Tricked). Then it zoomed to this guy, who was driving through the Parisian streets passing by the famous Eiffel Tower.
He's talking to himself while he tries to squeeze/parallel park his mini-cooper-esque vehicle in a small space (of course he hits the bumpers of the other cars). He starts people watching through his side mirror as he continue talking to himself about being lonely. He sees a single lady, and then she disappears. He comes out of his car to find out what happens to her and he finds her lying on the ground and starts helping her. Conveniently, a doctor is around and stops by, mistakens the woman to be his wife, states that she is okay, and helps him carry her inside his car.
Awkward moment- the guy just waiting for the lady to wake up in his car- all of this happened in less than 7 minutes, setting the tone for the rest of the shorts (as the viewer, I've come to accept this reality and the following). Right away in my mind the nature of this film reminded me of haiku- poetry. In spite of its brevity, it's still jam-packed with meaning. It's literally and visually a flash fiction with romantic and humanistic undertones.
The movie starts out with a typical Parisian image of the Eiffel Tower to draw in the audience and once the audience is hooked, it explores other aspects of Paris not exploited by tourism; "all the tales are markedly unique, and specific to the quirky style of its director" (35).
The directors use the people and objects of Paris to tell poignant stories such as the mother who lost his son, another mother who wakes up early to drop off her baby infant to a daycare and rides the metro to get to her job--being a nanny to a rich couple's baby-- and interracial relationship wrought with inter-religious dialogues. There are also quirky tales about imaginary cowboys, a bald salesman selling hair products to an Asian parlor, and a mime falling in love with another mime in prison (one of my favorites).
Paris, je t'aime also dwells into the night life of Paris, especially a twist/different take on the red district. The movie played on people's expectation: an old guy meeting up with a younger lady in the dark, they are walking, their conversation can be interpreted in many ways, a vampiress falling in love with an American student, an older couple meeting at a bordello, and a famous actress shooting up drugs.
Not only are the creepy stories present but also hopeful stories prevail in this movie: Oscar Wilde's ghost gives advice to the living, actress falling in love with the blind (love is blind, the blind leading the naive), and another one of my faves is a personal narrative from an American woman from a small town traveling on her own (who almost butchers the French language BUT didn't in spite of her American accent-- her sincerity saved her a lot).
In the end, some of the shorts sort of came together and intertwined (but not in an unrealistic way). This was great because it made the movie more cohesive (even though they were locally united, setting as character).
Did I fall in love 18 times after I finished watching the movie? Yes. One of the great things about this movie is that it explored different types of love- family, husband/wife, friends, self, etc. Paris, je t'aime reminds one of appreciating life: all its gifts and curses. The small town American woman in the end, felt lonely and alive; she experienced sadness and joy, and she fell in love with Paris. Like her, I was reminded of the importance of connection with the world community, the little joys of life, and the moments shared with family and friends.
I like this movie; j'adore Paris, je t'aime! Go watch it with your friends and special someone, and you too will fall in love with Paris 18 times! Guaranteed! ;)
Posted by Michael Diezmos at June 4, 2007 9:11 PM