Cast: Vahina Giocante, Frederic Malgras
Director: Manuel Pradal
Producer: Philippe Rousselet
Screenplay: Manuel Pradal
Cinematography: Christophe Pollock
Music: Carlo Crivelli
U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
In French with subtitles
Some films use a strong narrative to explore themes. Others utilize detailed character development for the same purpose. More rare are movies like Marie Baie des Anges, which attempts to use images and atmosphere to convey emotions and advance the plot. This is the kind of motion picture that will frustrate anyone who looks for a solid storyline, but may fascinate viewers who aren't bothered by this reliance upon the compelling power of well-photographed visuals. In other words, only art house audiences need bother. Marie Baie des Anges is slow moving but hypnotic, and always pretty to look at even when the story strays into the realm of the improbable and the incomprehensible.
The film stars the alluring and sensual Vahina Giocante as Marie, a 15 year-old girl who spends her summer wandering the beaches in the South of France. Using her undeniable charms to enflame the libidos of several American soldiers (all portrayed as unflattering caricatures), she enjoys their attention as they take her to nightclubs and ply her with champagne. When she is around them, she feels like a queen. But Marie is a tease, and the GIs soon tire of her.
In parallel with Marie's story, the film introduces us to 17 year-old Orso (Frederic Malgras), an outsider who is also spending his summer on the French Riviera. Like Marie, Orso does not feel bound by the conventions of society, but his rebellion manifests itself in violence and lawlessness. Orso is easily one of the most dangerous and uninhibited boys roaming the beaches. Ultimately, he and Marie meet, and, although their initial encounter is unfriendly, they soon find themselves attracted to each other, and embark on a journey to an island paradise. However, reality intrudes.
Manuel Pradal, making his directorial debut, treats the film as if it is a canvas, juxtaposing images of incredible sensuality, amazing beauty, and graphic violence. In this movie, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. The film shows how somewhere as beautiful as the Riviera (and the "Baie des Anges" in particular) can conceal great pain and misfortune. Every shot is carefully selected to emphasize the director's vision of how this Eden is a place of contradictions. By carefully choosing the times of day when the lighting is just right, Pradal and cinematographer Christophe Pollock have sought to recreate the Riviera captured in the paintings of Matisse.
For Marie Baie des Anges, Pradal has assembled a cast of newcomers and screen neophytes, many of whom came from poor backgrounds. The two leads, Vahina Giocante and Frederic Malgras, have charisma, although Malgras occasionally shows his lack of acting experience. Before landing this role, he lived in a caravan of Russian gypsies north of Paris. Giocante, a dancer for the Marseilles Opera, was only 13 when Pradal chose her to play Marie, and she is a true natural. Already, she has been called "the new Bardot" by virtually everyone. In the wake of her stunning debut here, there is little doubt that she will be heard from again.
Pradal's attention to visual detail has its pros and cons. On the positive side, it effectively captures the chaos of youth, when girls and boys struggle with intimacy, clumsily learn about the power of sexuality, and feel the sting of rejection. It's not so much love that eventually binds Marie and Orso together, as their unspoken recognition of how much they have in common. Too often, however, Pradal becomes so enraptured with his visual poetry that he lets the thin narrative fragment to the point where it makes no sense. For those willing to endure the frustration engendered by such lapses, Marie Baie des Anges offers a few unconventional pleasures.
© 1998 James Berardinelli