Invitation au voyage (1982) User Reviews

Original and very peculiar French cinema.

[EyeAskance · 4 July 2003]

INVITATION AU VOYAGE is an artistically bumptious film, peppered with images that nail themselves into your long-term memory. The story involves a popular singer who dies in a freak accident, electrocuted by an overhead light as she bathes in a tub of milk. Her distraught twin brother/lover(!) drains the milk into bottles, stuffs her body into a cello case, straps it to the top of his car and embarks on a road trip with an unstated destination. Encountering various odd characters during his journey, he periodically drinks the bottled milk, gradually becoming more and more obsessed with his lost loved-one...until he ultimately becomes her.

This film is something of an early-1980s time capsule, abounding with the music and fashions of the new wave movement, and the directorial tone is variably redolent of films by Eckhart Schmidt and Uli Edel.

7/10...Intriguing, and recommended.

not just poorly made but sick

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 20 January 2006]

I like many French films, so my distaste for this has nothing to do with that. No, I dislike it because it's just a bad film and it's sick to boot.

First let's start with the acting. The main character is sort of like a caveman, in that he says little, broods a lot and shows almost no emotional range. He just kind of exists. Maybe it's just the way the part was written--who knows, he just seemed to be kind of sleeping through the whole thing. Apart from him, the other actors appear more as decoration and I didn't care one bit for them.

Now the directing and editing. Perhaps it was considered artsy at the time, but I was really annoyed that the movie bounced around from the past to the present to the past again and again--almost like they mixed up the reels.

And, finally, the (YECCCCH) plot. It was very choppy but sick. I really couldn't understand the people BUT I do know that watching fraternal twins make love to each other is just nasty. Anyone who reads this review who disagrees, then I can recommend a few films for you (starting with Lousi Malle's Soufflé au Coeur--another artsy French film about incest). Later, when the sister is accidentally electrocuted, the brother either sleeps naked next to her nude corpse or he's having sex with her lifeless corpse. I wasn't sure WHICH message the writer and director were getting at in this scene and I really DON'T need to know. MANY things are best left unsaid!

this movie is fantastic; one of my top ten all time--being a twin helps though.

[ronfon · 10/10 · 29 May 2006]

This movie is not sick at all. Nor is it poorly made. It's about attachment and emotional connection. It's thoroughly French, evocative and moody; a road movie as well. Everyone in it is searching for someone/something. The star (Laurent Malet) delivers a great performance. I loved it.I saw it at a difficult time in my life. My father had died and a close friend had passed away from AIDS. I was quite susceptible to any depiction of great commitment and devotion. There are great cinematic images in it as well. A superb shot at the beach-towards the end of the film. Peter del Monte is Italian and has not made many films but I saw another of his films with Emmanuelle Riva in it. Can't remember the title though. I will say a person should have a real interest in French films to like this movie. It's in a style which would include Diva and Subway.

Heartfelt final voyage for twins

[udar55 · 8/10 · 15 January 2011]

Lucien (Laurent Malet) begins a cross country journey across France in an old Rolls Royce that brings him into contact with a lot of oddballs. Oh, did I forget to mention on top of the car is the dead body of his twin sister Nina (Corinne Reynaud) stuffed into a cello case? A completely blind buy after seeing Cinefantastique list this as one of the best films of 1982 and I agree that it is a great little film. Director Peter Del Monte adapted a novel by Jean Bany and does so with an assured hand in dealing with the drama. Audiences are initially led to believe that Lucien is a psychopathic killer, but as the story reveals itself over flashbacks, a more loving portrait emerges. It is still a bit twisted as Lucien and Nina appear to have had an incestuous relationship. In a way, it reminded me of the French film RED LIGHTS (2004) as this character meets weirder and weirder characters along their journey. Mario Adorf shows up for a few scenes as a Turkish wanderer. This was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes and did win Best Artistic Contribution for cinematographer Bruno (POSSESSION) Nuytten.

Unique

[sidjohns450 · 10/10 · 3 June 2015]

I rented this from the my local store and it took my breath away. I was annoyed when one review said this movie was sick. This isn't it's a French movie and it isn't made for the mainstream audience. Should I spoil it for the reader to tell you what the movie is about.

Luicen twin sister dies in the bath tub. This makes Lucien depressed. So Lucien pays and odd tribute to his twin. He takes the dead body for a road trip.

While on the road trip, Lucien heals and deals with the loss of his sister, his sister his is lover. It happens!!

The music is haunting and Lucien comes across a motley crue of oddballs.

Max-Hellmuth Ostermann 1917-1942

Movie That works

[luckystarhamburg · 17 April 2017]

This movie is about life outside the mainstream life. So if you're a Conservative person you won't get this one.

Lucien is lovers with is sister, and the embark on a romance. It's a secret between the two. Nina, Lucien's sister dies and I won't go into that. To stop Lucien from cracking up, he takes his sister on a road trip. Only Lucien doesn't know where he's going only to make his sister live through him. "What would you do if I die" "To make you live again" That's what he does and he meets odd but nice people on the way. It's sad to lose someone you love"

"Sorry for not being there in the past, but we need to end this" Colton

Slick

[luckystarhamburg-20576 · 9 October 2016]

How can I explain this movie, it's wonderful movie and it unknown. The played this back in early 90's. I just broke up with my boyfriend, so I was down in the dumps. So I tuned into this and this movie made think hard about how great the French make wonderful movies.

This movie might make people feel awkward, why it's about incest so the right- wing might get into and tune it off.

This sister, Nina die in a freak accident and Lucien is unhappy. He is so in love with his sister he never reports her death to the police. Lucien takes the body and goes on a long trip and goes on a fabulous journey. He makes a friends on the way. And they talk about David Bowie

Annelies