At first glance, writer/director Durga Chew-Bose’s debut film seems similar to scores of other tales about young love near the Mediterranean, such as La Piscine and its multiple remakes, Stealing Beauty, and Parthenope. Take a young beauty on the cusp of coming into her power over men, put her in a swimsuit at a sun-drenched, idyllic estate on or near the water with available suitors nearby, and the movie basically writes itself. Bonjour Tristesse does a fine job of upholding that tradition, and yet it has garnered a fairly lukewarm reception by both critics and viewers, apparently because it dares to remake Otto Preminger’s 1958 film of the same title, which was in turn based on Francoise Sagan’s novel.
Buy Bonjour Tristesse DVDOur ingénue this time is Lily McInerny, a doe-eyed waif perfectly cast in the role of Cecile. She’s spending the entire summer relaxing with her worldly, louche father (Claes Bang) and his pretty young girlfriend Elsa at an expansive, remote villa perched on the edge of the Mediterranean in the south of France. With no responsibilities and little entertainment, she soon meets a dreamy local boy who becomes her summer lover. And then, her deceased mother and very much alive father’s dear old friend Anne (Chloe Sevigny) arrives, forever altering the chemistry of the household.
Recognizing that dad has a wandering eye, Cecile keeps Anne under observation until her fears are realized, triggering her to plan an elaborate game of subterfuge and seduction to set things back the way she prefers. It’s fun to watch the budding femme fatale design her first web, especially when things start to go awry due to her inexperience in the ways of the world. The aftermath finds her a changed woman, not necessarily for the better, but certainly with more awareness of the power of her actions.
McInerny is in the thankless position of filling a role originated by the inimitable Jean Seberg in the original film. While she simply can’t measure up to that impossible standard, she is incandescent in the role, fully conveying the character’s last glimmers of innocence and new longing for adult pleasures. Bang is also a great choice as the Lothario dad, every bit the relaxed European playboy the role requires and far better than the forever pinched, uptight David Niven in the original. As for Sevigny, she’s also saddled with comparisons to her predecessor, Deborah Kerr, with both never really fitting into their surroundings. She brings the biggest fanbase to the film, and she hits her marks with the character, especially during some tender moments with McInerny, but never quite feels a part of the ensemble.
Chew-Bose develops and paces the story well over its nearly two-hour length, but also leaves time to simply enjoy a cinematic summer vacation to the south of France. Lingering shots of food preparation, fashion selection, and beach adventures firmly establish a sense of the utterly relaxing beauty of the locale. Characters don’t so much rush from one plot beat to the next as glide through the daily minutiae of their time in paradise, and I enjoyed the film all the more for it.
The DVD presents the film in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio, with 5.1 surround sound. The film is almost entirely in English, so subs are unnecessary but available as needed. No bonus features are included.
