Copie Conforme (2010)

With his first European film, Kiarostami has stayed very close to himself. Recurring Kiarostami themes return, such as real vs. unreal. Stylistic devices as well; a long car ride is included again. This time in a European setting and with a more European feel than other films I have seen by him. Not exactly a very surprising film within his oeuvre.

A film you can dig as deep into as you like. The plot itself is explainable Binoche and Schimmel attempt to relive moments from their early relationship and drop out of character somewhere along the way. At least, that’s the general outline of it I made, but Copie Conforme is not a film with a single truth, but a construction with a whole lot of truths. Intended and unintended interpretations.

Above all, it is also just an incredibly entertaining film. Not a dull moment, great actors, beautiful dialogue (and that is quite pleasant, the film is full of it) and sometimes even funny (for example, that bit with Binoche's son at the beginning, clearly a very smart, manipulative budding teenager). A nice film.

3.5*

Translated from Dutch · View original

I had a bit the same feeling here as with Koreeda's Verité. Going down the French-universal route in, believe it or not, a sort of Before Midnight, still vintage Kiarostami in the direction, but as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't necessary at all? Binoche distracted me rather than offering new insights, and during a specific scene in a small chapel, Kiarostami seems to curiously confirm the cynicism of Shimell's author (who becomes more annoying and self-satisfied by the minute, right up to the judgment). In that case, I found "Like Someone in Love" in the land of Koreeda to be a much more successful foray.

Translated from Dutch · View original

It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I thought Juliette Binoche must be a good fit. And in itself, that wasn't the problem. I found the film rather ponderous or... meaningless. It depends on how you look at it. Quite a lot of rambling follows. What is an original and why are there copies? What is the value of a copy and what does that say about an original? Only to then draw a line between fiction and reality. Have they only just met, or have they known each other for a very long time?

Kiarostami plays with it and presents the viewer with an intellectual challenge that, unfortunately, was wasted on me. It simply didn't interest me, and I didn't feel much point in racking my brains over it. At times just confusing, even conceited. The alternating speaking of English, Italian, and French didn't help matters either.

Binoche's acting was fine, though. The film did improve after a slow start, but ultimately failed to convince me.

Translated from Dutch · View original