irishm Review of Buffet Froid

Buffet Froid (1979)

If I don't know the rules, I don't want to play the game

[3/10 · 14 May 2015]

I accept the fact that French cinema is very different from American movies, and I'm okay with that. I like France, the French culture, and the language... that's why I watch French films. But with this one I couldn't get past the 30-minute mark. Others have pointed out that it's of the "absurdist" school, and I guess that just isn't my cup of tea. I couldn't make any sense of it so I couldn't enjoy it. The performances were good and the cinematography was also very good. But geez, when a guy has a calm casual conversation with a man who's just been stabbed and who offers him the knife back in case he might need it in the future, I don't know what to make of it. Is it real? Is it a dream? Is it the perception of Depardieu's character, who may not be "all there"? I dunno. I gave up. On to more literal things.