Let The Sunshine In (Claire Denis, 2017)
Obviously Binoche is the star of the show, and the primary reason for watching her in the 'effortless excellence' period of her career. It's also probably the lightest film one could imagine from Denis, not so much a comedy (as it's been advertised) but more idealistically romantic than what would be Denis' milieu, in that it ultimately remains optimistic about the promise of intimate joy (the better title translation would be The Bright Sun Within) while simultaneously frustrating this promise, but without the kind of chic cynicism that pervades too much modern Euro-cinema. For that reason, it can be seen as refreshing, but hardly satisfying.
I suppose I wanted a film with more aesthetic flourish, instead it's pretty dry visually. The most striking image is its very first one, of Binoche open and radiant, similar to the poster. This is immediately (comedically, I suppose) ruined by some fat jackass jumping on top of her without the first clue of what to do with her. The film has lots of awkward sex like this, as Binoche shrugs "better than no sex". It is amusing to watch this string of lame men in her life, practically advertising their lameness, while Binoche silently wagers her desperation in a mix of pity and pragmatism. I kept wanting her to simply go out and purchase one of those contraptions from High Life instead.
The film eventually fails to have much to say about the plight of a middle-age single woman facing the end of her sex life and (what is suggested) the potential end of her artistic viability as well. The biggest deflation is saved for the end, when psychic (?) Gerard Depardieu shows up to offer perhaps the lamest male advertisement of them all, and his banal blatherings would be embarrassing even without the pretense of their psychic wisdom. Is it a joke that a woman as sharp as Binoche would entertain such wisdom? Her desperation? The ending is left open, but I hope she recognizes this as just another fat caboose on the lame man train in her life. Either way, it's a muddled effort that Binoche seems to carry entirely on her shoulders.
6.5/10