Cast: Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier, Grégoire Colin, Jo Prestia, Patrick Mercado
Director: Erick Zonca
Producer: François Marquis
Screenplay: Erick Zonca & Roger Bohbot
Cinematography: Agnès Godard
Music: Yann Thiersen
U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
In French with subtitles
Those who see The Dreamlife of Angels, the powerful 1998 feature from director Erick Zonca, will immediately notice the irony of the title. Not only is the film about reality of the grittiest sort, but the two main characters, Isa (Élodie Bouchez) and Marie (Natacha Régnier), are as earthy and non-angelic as they come. Nevertheless, as in dreams, there's a mesmerizing quality to the movie that few films released in the past 12 months have duplicated. Subtly and without manipulation, The Dreamlife of Angels draws us into the protagonists' lives and effortlessly holds us absorbed for the next two hours.
In the year since its debut at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, The Dreamlife of Angels has swept across the globe, capturing awards almost everywhere it has been seen. At Cannes, the two leads shared the Best Actress Award, while Zonca was nominated for both the Golden Palm and the Golden Camera. In France, Bouchez took home a Cesar for Best Actress, Régnier won for Most Promising Young Actress, and the film captured the award for Best Picture. The two women then repeated their Cannes triumph at the European Film Awards. Each citation noted here, as well as others gained at local film festivals, is deserved.
It isn't difficult to describe the picture's narrative thrust. The Dreamlife of Angels focuses on the intense friendship between two twenty-something girls in Lille, France. Both are poor and have trouble holding a steady job, but that's where the similarities end. Personality-wise, they're polar opposites. Dark-haired Isa is a tempestuous free-spirit - an outgoing girl with a big heart and bigger smile. Marie, on the other hand, is withdrawn and emotionally cloistered. As her lovers observe, she is neither affectionate nor grateful. Nevertheless, despite their differences (or perhaps because of them - opposites often attract, after all), Isa and Marie like each other almost immediately and are soon inseparable. But, as is true of all quick-burning fires, the flames of their friendship quickly die out, leaving behind smoldering embers and growing bitterness. So, in essence, The Dreamlife of Angels can be considered an autopsy of a friendship - a chronicle of its development from beginning to end.
Of course, it would be impossible to discuss the film without delving into the nature of the relationship. On Marie's side, it's certainly platonic. She's an active heterosexual who appears willing to sleep with just about anyone with the right equipment. During the course of the movie, which spans a period of less than two months, she has intense sexual liaisons with two men: the kind-hearted but physically unattractive Charly (Patrick Mercado) and the womanizing Chris (Grégoire Colin). The film is less frank about Isa's sexuality, but Zonca drops enough clues to cause us to ponder whether her feelings for Marie might run deeper than we initially suspect. Despite having opportunities, Isa doesn't sleep with any men, and, on more than one occasion, she appears irritated with Marie's sexual partners.
The two live together in a flat that Marie is watching for a mother and daughter who are in the hospital following a car accident. Isa finds the girl's diary, and, in one of the movie's more interesting subplots, pays a visit to the hospital. She learns that the girl, Sandrine, is in a coma and that her mother has died. Thereafter, Isa becomes a regular visitor, spending hours reading to the unconscious girl and holding her hand. It's a uniquely touching relationship that fundamentally alters Isa's perception of life. But, as her one-way emotional bond with Sandrine strengthens, her relationship with Marie starts to disintegrate.
Zonca keeps the situations genuine and the characters authentic. He never takes more than a minimal dramatic license, allowing events to transpire in much the same way they might in the real world. Isa and Marie's friendship is developed with great care and attention to detail. Technically, the director uses an approach that offers a fascinating study in contrasts between video and audio. The camera, which is frequently hand-held, captures the characters with a cinema verite-like closeness. The sound, on the other hand, has been meticulously mixed so that every noise, no matter how faint, can be heard with startling clarity. The result is an often amateurish look coupled with a big-budget audio style. If anything is dream-like about the film, this is it.
As is almost always true of French films, the performances are superlative. Both Élodie Bouchez (who previously played the girl in Wild Reeds' sexual triangle) and Natacha Régnier are in fine form, giving life and personality to Isa and Marie. Their chemistry is perfect for the material, and it's no surprise that they have captured so many acting awards. International star Grégoire Colin (arguably still best known for his part in Olivier, Olivier) is the perfect choice for the hard-hearted Lothario who captures, then breaks, Marie's heart. Jo Prestia and Patrick Mercado have supporting roles as a pair of leather-jacketed bouncers who are attracted to the girls.
Those in search of a film that makes some grand statement about the human experience will not find it in The Dreamlife of Angels. This is a basic yet sublime motion picture. In fact, the greatness of this movie lies in its essential simplicity. Zonca has crafted a pair of individuals so well rounded and effectively defined that we can relate to them on a personal basis. We aren't just watching Isa and Marie endure the tiny triumphs and hardships of their lives; we're experiencing those ups and downs alongside them.
© 1998 James Berardinelli