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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed by Guillaume Nicloux
France/Belgium 2015
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Some months after the death of their estranged son Michael, long divorced Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert, MERCI POUR LE CHOCOLAT) and Gerard (Gerard Depardieu, 1900) are summoned by his deathbed request to Death Valley which he visited a week before committing suicide in his home in San Francisco. The letters he wrote to both of his parents claims that they will be reunited on the twelfth of November of that year (2014) at one of seven Death Valley landmarks. Gerard is convinced that their son wants to punish them with the sadistic trick of forcing the couple to spend time together in the sweltering environment. Isabelle, on the other hand, is desperate to know why their son took his life and is all too willing to embrace the mystical nature of his request. Director Guillaume Nicloux's (THE NUN) minimalist meditation on love and loss has a couple intensely moving moments but ultimately rings shallow. Huppert and Depardieu - reunited thirty-six years Maurice Pialat's LOULOU - are excellent but it seems more like they are rising to an acting challenge than embodying well-wrought characters, and the mystical scenes only work because of Huppert's heart-rending displays of hysteria. Depardieu for most of the film is as emotionally removed from the film as his character but has some fine moments under somewhat tasteless circumstances late in the film. As far as French people in a strange land films go, VALLEY OF LOVE feels like a less eventful TWENTYNINE PALMS. |
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Theatrical Release: 17 June 2015 (France)
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DVD Review: Strand Releasing - Region 1 - NTSC
Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!
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| Distribution |
Strand Releasing Region 1 - NTSC |
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| Runtime | 1:32:27 | |
| Video |
2.48:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Audio | French/English Dolby Digital 5.1 | |
| Subtitles | English, English SDH, none | |
| Features |
Release
Information: Studio: Strand Releasing
Aspect Ratio:
Edition
Details: Chapters 8 |
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| Comments |
Strand
Releasing afford this average-length film
their now standard high-bitrate progressive,
anamorphic encode and the results are quite
attractive. The Death Valley locations often
take the back seat to close-ups of Huppert
and Depardieu, but rugged textures of the
landscape are evident when they are
contrasted with the leads who are intended
to look frailer than they hopefully really
are. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
faithfully represents the sound design which
makes subtle use of the surrounds and more
forceful jump-worthy movements across the
front channels. Optional English subtitles
for the French dialogue and English SDH
subtitles for all of the dialogue are
included. The sole related extra is a
trailer for the film, but the disc also
includes trailers for four Strand releases,
including the previously-reviewed
ABUSE OF WEAKNESS (a superior
effort with Huppert) and
SEX,
LOVE & THERAPY. |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution |
Strand Releasing Region 1 - NTSC |
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