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Un Coeur en Hiver 1992 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Claude Sautet
NR, 105 min. (mature themes) |
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Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Beart, Andre Dussollier, Elisabeth Bourgine
Producers: Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne
Screenplay: Yves Ulmann, Jacques Fieschi, Jerome Tonnere
Distributor: October Films
Released: 1993 (Limited)
(In French with English subtitles) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
 
Un Coeur en Hiver, or A Heart in Winter, demonstrates that many of the best films come not from Hollywood, but from
overseas. This French film honestly portrays love and its consequences when two people must confront each other with their
feelings, even if it means hurting others around them. The love triangle is nothing new to the big screen, but the unfiltered
honesty that is shown in this film is heartbreakingly true to life in many ways. Some people have a difficult time experiencing
or sharing love with someone else, and for some reason it just doesn't click for them, even if subconsciously it does. Their
inability to explain this problem with others results in devastating emotional damage to the person who loves them. This is
a masterful film with powerful performances and clever directing - a sure classic in any sense of the word.
The story is simple enough; Stephane (Daniel Auteuil) works for Maxime (Andre Dussollier) in a Paris violin repair shop. They
are more or less partners, although, according to Stephane, not personally close. Life is routine for Stephane (the way he
likes it), he repairs violins and is very good at critiquing the correct sound it should make. His routine life is shaken to its
core, however, when Maxime introduces his new lover and client, Camille Kessler (Emmanuelle Beart) to him over dinner.
Stephane is immediately smitten with her, and he has a similar affect on Camille, who cannot play her best on the violin without
him around. Stephane pursues the developing relationship over quick conversations and drinks at a local cafe between her
violin recordings at a studio. Camille is a very talented violinist, but seems empty without Stephane watching her play. While
Camille is upfront and announces her love for Stephane, he is not as sure. He wonders if it is really love, or if he is even
capable of loving at all. When he tells Camille he is not in love with her, it is devastating for her, and when Maxime finds out
about his mistreatment of Camille, Stephane leaves the business to start his own. The film deals with Stephane's inability to
deal with his emotions and confusion over his own fear of losing control of his orderly life.
The film is soporific, yet doesn't feel as though it's 90 minutes long. In fact, you are wishing it was longer - to see if the two
can put that magic they felt together back together again. The performances of Auteuil and Beart are wonderful, and the
geniune chemistry (they were reportedly close off-screen as well) between them reminds me of the Bogart/Bacall duo in the
1940's - it's that good. The raging emotions under their cool exteriors is a joy to watch, especially Auteuil's command over his
growing feelings for Beart. Beart's portrayal of Camille is one of the best I've seen for this type of character - she is vulnerable,
yet strong at the same time. She is not afraid to admit her feelings, and her rejection and devastation is powerfully felt by
the viewer as well, which is no easy feat. Also, you really believed that was her playing the violin, when in reality she knew
nothing about the violin before taking the part.
To me, the Heart in the story is Camille, while the Winter is Stephane. Stephane's inability to accept love or even recognize it
is just as cold and unemotional as winter; Camille is full of feeling and love, and willing to share it all with Stephane - the
very essence of a heart. The two are mutually exclusive, but you'd think the heart could warm the winter into submission, but
that's not the case here. And maybe that's the strength of the film, as most films would give us a flimsily-constructed ending
with the two falling into each other's arms. But that's not life - pride, ignorance, and just plain selfishness can rob any
relationship of a fulfilling resolution.
The film does close on a somewhat uplifting note - we see the possibility of a second chance for Camille and Stephane, but
it seems a bit ambiguous of what might happen. And while Stephane has finally come to terms with his own ability to share love (he all but
expresses his love for her at the end), Camille is not as trusting this time around. But her heart is probably big enough to
forgive him, to give him another chance. However, none of this is guaranteed, we are left with a broken story, a sad story,
one that seems unflinchingly common - as something we ourselves may have encountered at some point in our lives.
Un Coeur en Hiver doesn't just tell a story - it submerses the viewer into the characters of Camille and Stephane, and one
might even see themself in one or the other. It's been a while since I've been geniunely moved by a motion picture, especially
one that embodies the very heart of love, and as painful as it may be, it's worth the journey. This film feels like a heart in the
winter of motion pictures - it's unforgettable and timeless, something that you can dust off and view many times over, with
each encounter meaning even more than the previous one. This is the type of film that reminds us why we love movies
in the first place - it's easily one of the better films of the last decade.
© 2000 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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