It's a bold choice on the part of filmmaker Catherine Breillat to have shaped this feature as she did, declining any exposition and just throwing us into the story. However, it's not just that this is written with the assumption that viewers are already familiar with the supposed source material or other adaptations. More than that, Breillat introduces countless new elements into her interpretation(s) that are altogether flummoxing, often with little or no connectivity or flow from one scene to the next. A few isolated facets of the writing are excellent, and ripe for storytelling (mostly nearer the start) - but on the other hand, far too much of the dialogue, scene writing, and so-called narrative just make no sense. In fact, what 'La belle endormie' represents more than anything is a loose arthouse variation on classic fairy tales. There's nothing wrong with that, and nothing wrong with trying something new and different. The problems are twofold. First is that any loftier notions and pretenses Breillat might have wished to infuse into her picture absolutely do not come across in the finished product. Second, even if we accept the most whimsical and abstruse conceptions of what a narrative could possibly be, the plot and its development are so chopped up and incohesive, broaching incoherence, that from the beginning it barely holds itself together. By the time we finish watching, it altogether falls apart.
I don't know if it's Breillat's screenplay, her direction, or the cast, but the fundamental orchestration of shots and scenes is bizarrely, extraordinarily weak. Some instances feel like first takes, or rehearsals; other moments come across as B-roll that somehow made it into the final cut. Too much of the presentation comes off as halfhearted, inchoate, or unpracticed, if not outright floundering - and almost never more than halfway solid and complete. I suppose in some fashion this is peculiarly appropriate for a title where the writing is all over the place, but that's no compliment. Sure, the crew behind the scenes turned in excellent work - filming locations, production design, art direction, effects, costume design, hair, makeup, cinematography, music, and so on. Unfortunately, none of those aspects really matter. One is perhaps accustomed to fairy tales being Just So, declining world-building and giving us a saga that is entirely self-contained; other movies telling original stories in the realm of fantasy and adventure have adopted a similar approach, to great success. However, fairy tales and other such movies still need to be, and are, internally consistent. 'La belle endormie' is scattered to the winds, a conglomeration that's effectively strung together with a thread that ultimately turns out to be not just invisible but intangible. Factor in how flimsy the execution is from one moment to the next, and I barely even know what to say any more.
Someone understands what Breillat was doing here, and appreciates it. I'm not that person. I sat to watch with no foreknowledge or expectations. At rare, irregular intervals I saw something I liked. Down to the very last minutes, however, this is baffling, outrageously erratic and nonsensical, and whittles down any possible favor I might have bestowed upon it until there's none left to give. I rather wonder if Breillat wasn't actually playing a prank on prospective audiences by making this, seeing if she could lure us in with her name or the picture's only to instead give us... well, whatever this is. I don't know. All I know is that when all is said and done I have no idea what she was actually attempting with 'La belle endormie.' I congratulate those who have, and they're welcome to it. I'm done.
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