La répétition (2001) User Reviews

fascinating tale of love and obsession

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 1 July 2005]

This is the story of two women who were childhood friends. Although one of them was not overtly aware of it, the other friend had become sexually attracted to her over time. However, instead of voicing this inner desire, this longing, at times, comes out in the form of conflict between them. This conflict pushes them apart and years pass until they are reunited. However, this sublimated conflict inevitably arises and the friends part repeatedly without getting to the heart of the conflict.

Eventually, they get to their true feelings and they have a brief and passionate sexual encounter. However, instead of it being the beginning of a new phase in their relationship, it drives them apart as the one friend (who had not had the obsession) felted repelled by the homosexual aspect of her own sexuality and she QUICKLY jumped into a sexual liaison with a man to prove her own heterosexuality to herself. The obsessed friend felt betrayed and they went their separate ways again (though exactly how this occurred is VERY intense and striking, you'll just have to see it for yourself). The end.

I don't really think this is a "lesbian movie" per se, as the movie seems to point out that humans are sexual beings with a wide range of sexual desires and responses. Both women are sexually involved with men as well as each other. How they respond psychologically to this hidden desire is what makes this a really interesting movie.

a very well-acted drama

[jacobctf · 7/10 · 2 July 2001]

Saw the film at the Festival du film français in Seoul. Although the film is slow at the start, it gives the audience a pretty good background of friendship (or relationship) of the characters, Natalie and Louise on which the film is based on. Natalie is an accomplished theatre actress and Louise tries to achieve her dream through Natalie's career... The 2 actresses (Béart et Brussières)did an excellent job portraying very different characters. The screenplay wasn't as original as I've expected yet the acting really makes up this disadvantage. A very enjoyable drama.

A truly bizarre film

[wjfickling · 7/10 · 22 December 2004]

There is a line, perhaps thin, perhaps not, between insulting a viewer's intelligence by excessive explanation of character motivation in a film, and leaving a viewer completely baffled by exhibiting bizarre behavior for which there appears no plausible motivation, and there is nothing in the screenplay to give us a clue as to why the characters acted as they did. True art consists of exactly the right balance: leaving enough clues in the script to give us at least a hint of why characters act as they do, without hitting us over the head with it and overexplaining.

This bizarre French film falls firmly in the camp of underexplanation. We meet two friends, Nathalie and Louise, as young women, and early in the film, Louise abruptly cuts off Nathalie completely, without explanation to either her or us. Louise doesn't even tell Nathalie herself; she leaves it to her mother to tell Nathalie that she doesn't want to see her again. An unspecified number of years later, but when both are adults and Louise is a dentist and Nathalie an up and coming actress, Louise looks up Nathalie after a performance, and after a rocky start, the friendship is resumed. At this point the film's title becomes the spoiler, because we know that the act of dumping is going to occur again. The only suspense lies in who is going to dump whom this time around. The women go to bed together a couple of times, but in both cases this is really a sideline to their heterosexual interests. Sure enough, another dumping does occur, again without any apparent motivation or explanation, although I won't tell you who dumps whom this time since most people who read this will have already seen the film. In case you haven't, it seems to be shown occasionally on cable on the Sundance Channel, which is where I saw it. If you live in the US, chances of seeing it in a theater are nil, since it doesn't appear to have received any kind of commercial release in the US.

The problem with this film is the screenplay. It is well acted by the two leads and the supporting cast, well directed, and has good location shots in Paris and Copenhagen. The director should have sent the screenplay back for revision so that a coherent story could have been developed. As it stands now, this film is only of minor interest--perhaps if you are a Beart-ophile, as I am--but otherwise it's pointless drivel.

The one-way passion of a woman to another women

[hakkikurtulus · 28 April 2002]

This well built French drama clearly narrates a story of a passion. I think "La répetition" is one of the best films that have ever been made on the passion of a woman to another one. The interesting point about that is the passion has not got counter-love or passion from the desired woman.

A story of women, from a woman which reflects perfectly, the ununderstandable relation of passion, hate and rivalry between two friends.

Surprisingly unengaging

[pagrn1 · 4/10 · 3 October 2004]

To list everything that is right about this film would take forever. The cast, the performances, the direction, the cinematography are all first rate, it looks good and is well-packaged. BUT! There is something frustratingly unsatisfying, or I should say a number of somethings, which combine to bring down what would otherwise be a terrific film. On the most superficial level the lack of any sympathetic characters makes it difficult like this film, but having watched it a second time it became clear that this was intentional with the characters' flaws being the basis of the drama. This however raises a second problem as a very thin plot has to be spun out using characters that the audience care nothing about. The script itself is clunky (Both with and without subtitles!)and this makes La Repetition ultimately a poor film that might so easily have been a triumph. It is baffling that so many talented people should have looked at this script and thought that it could have worked. Perhaps one day someone will remake this film with a decent script.

a sensitive, penetrating story

[kyrilid · 10/10 · 15 March 2003]

A film with an unaffected, to-the-point direction, a sensitive, penetrating story and first-rate interpretations from actresses who I, for one,would care not to see weeping, statuette-in-hand,thanking the Academy, the Nation, their great-grandmothers and uncle Oscar. "La repetition", along with "La pianiste" and "Irreversible" (all three -by coincidence?- french-speaking), was an oasis in a series of routine films, which I saw recently. Those of you who have had enough of visual effects and the garrulity of films which have actually nothing to say may as well turn to films like "La repetition", which succeeds in making a point even when it remains silent. I am now looking for director Corsini's other films, and I am only too curious to find out how some other director, who will also reflect upon the subject of a woman's love for another woman, will deal with it.

La Snooze-fest

[kenjha · 2/10 · 15 October 2010]

A moody bisexual actress and a suicidal lesbian dentist walk into a bar...no, unfortunately this is not a comedy. The two women, who have been friends since childhood, break up for reasons that are unclear. Then they get back together. Then they break up for reasons that are unclear. Then they get back together. La Rinse. La Repeat. This may well be the most mind-numbingly boring film ever to come out of France. Beart plays a stage actress who has no acting talent and who apparently acts in some of the worst plays ever written. At one point she develops a belly ache, but sadly no alien pops out of her stomach to breathe some life into this plot less snooze-fest.

Well acted but the story doesn't go anywhere

[LHG-3 · 8/10 · 27 August 2001]

The story draws a lot from movies such as Single White Female and "Harry un ami qui vous veut du bien", except that none of the drama that these two movies contain is present : no murder or madness here, everything is strictly psychological. When ending credits starts rolling, this gives the impression that the movie has been really pointless. Acting is very good though.

The turning point...... and it leads to nowhere.

[dbdumonteil · 2/10 · 15 January 2005]

How not to think of Herbert Ross's "the turning point" where Ann Bancroft fulfilled her ambitions when her friend Shirley McLaine became a housewife?Okay,the French movie has the lesbian side but even that has become so natural now (remember Claude Chabrol's "les biches" ,1967).But whereas Herbert Ross's story was interesting and entertaining,Catherine Corsini's work is stodgy ,pretentious,cold and so intellectual it's sometimes unbearable .It makes me think of the worst hour of the nouvelle vague.Sure Emmanuelle Beart is a beautiful actress,but elsewhere .Pick up Claude Chabrol's "l'enfer" or FRançois Ozon's "8 femmes "instead.Or De Palma's "Mission :Impossible" for those whose tastes run that way.

An idea in search of a story

[charmaments · 5/10 · 3 January 2017]

The premise of this film is an interesting one and has some potential. A woman discovers that she is in love with her childhood friend after meeting her so many years later.

The basic idea is good, the execution, from a technical point of view is good. The acting is completely convincing, the scenes are to the point, there's nothing cheap about this film, thanks greatly to grants and tax credits from Canada who funded such a kind of unprofitable film that would never be possible.

I simply wanted more from this film, but there isn't anything there. Louise discovers her lesbianism but none of that is explored. Is she attracted to other women? Is she no longer attracted to men? Is she even in attracted to Nathalie? Is that her physical type? Or is it just some sort of girl crush? Is she in love with her? Why?

There are many aspects to relationships, from physical, sexual, emotional, friendly, shared interests, but none of them are explored. Because of that, Louise takes the form of a nagging but nurturing mom. She gets her auditions, buys her stuff, tries to take care of her, but gets nothing in return. Nathalie brings home men and Louise just looks at her with disapproval and disappointment, not jealousy.

If that's the intent of the director, then why was this "you're not my mother" aspect not explored?

It just looks like Louise wants to adopt her childhood friend who grew up, if one could use that word, to become a petulant, childish brat.

If it were about personality, Louise would find someone with a better personality. If it were about physical appearance, then Louise would be attracted to other women.

What is attractive about Nathalie, in this case, we will never know.

If the producers of this film felt strongly about it, perhaps they would release it in higher quality (at least 720p) on modern streaming platforms or on Blu-ray but I think the lack of attempts to remaster it speak volumes about the demand and the reception for this film.