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The Bottom LineAn uns ettling portrait of the artis t asa m ad w om an, anchored by ariv eting lead perform ance.

VenueBerlin Film Fes tiv al(Com petition)

Director-ScreenwriterBruno Dumont

CastJuliette Binoche,Jean-Luc Vincent,Robert Leroy

Berlin 2013: High Point MediaStrike U.K., German andJapan Deals For Horror'Community'(http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

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Berlin 2013: XYZ FilmsLaunches International Sales

OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS

Juliette Binoche stars in Bruno Dumont's disturbing portrayal of the French sculptress' daysof confinement and quest for a normal life.BERLIN -- Th ose fa m ilia r w ith Bru n o Du m on t ’s w or k ca n w a lk in to h is m ov ies

ex pect in g h or r ific v iolen ce, ex qu isite la n dsca pes, len g th y ex isten t ia l silen ces, a n d

plen ty of g r u n tin g sex betw een Fr en ch tow n ies in ser iou s n eed of den ta l ca r e. So it

w a s a ll th e m or e in tr ig u in g w h en h e took on a pr oject ca lled Cam ille Claudel 1915,

a bou t th e tr a g ica lly g ifted tu r n -of-th e-cen tu r y scu lptr ess, w h ose lon g a ffa ir w ith

A u gu st e Rodin ev en tu a lly dr ov e h er to th e m a dh ou se, w h er e sh e w ou ld r em a in

u n til dy in g fr om m a ln u tr it ion -r ela ted ca u ses a t th e h eig h t of th e Secon d Wor ld

Wa r .

Despite th e n ota ble la ck of sex a n d v iolen ce, th is

la test effor t fr om th e Ga llic doom -a n d-g loom

m in im a list is v er y m u ch in lin e w ith h is oeu v r e,

offer in g u p a con den sed por tr a it of Cla u del’s

in ter n m en t th a t ’s a t on ce g r u elin g a n d m edita t iv e,

a s w ell a s deeply distu r bin g in its u se of a ctu a l

h a n dica pped people a s su ppor t in g ca st m em ber s. It ’s

a lso Du m on t ’s fir st film to fea tu r e a m a jor sta r , a n d

Ju liet t e Bin och e’s por tr a y a l of th e ill-fa ted a r t ist is

a stu dy of r estr a in t pepper ed w ith br ief ou tbu r sts of

em otion -- a r iv et in g per for m a n ce in a n im posin g ,

a t t im es off-pu tt in g m icr o-biopic th a t ’s u n likely to

a u g m en t th e a u teu r ’s dedica ted fa n ba se.

If it w er en ’t for th e v er y Du m on t-ia n decision -- v ia

Camille Claudel 1915: Berlin Review1:00 PM PST 2/12/2013 by Jordan Mintzer

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h is ty pica lly con cen tr a ted u se of close-u ps -- to focu s

on th e oth er a sy lu m pa t ien ts in deta il, th e m ov ie

cou ld h a v e per h a ps tr a v eled fa r th er th a n th e

film m a ker 's r ecen t Outside Satan or Hadew ijch,

w h ich h a v e fou n d less fa v or in a r t h ou ses com pa r ed

to ea r ly w or ks like Hum anite or The Life of Jesus .

A fter a ll, D.P.-tu r n ed-dir ector Bru n o Nu y t t en ’s

1 9 8 8 costu m er , Camille Claudel, w a s a n

in ter n a t ion a l sen sa t ion , sea lin g Isa belle A dja n i ’s

r epu ta t ion (sh e w a s n om in a ted for a n Osca r ) a n d

r esu r r ect in g th e ca r eer of a w om a n w h ose life w a s

u n ju st ly cu t sh or t a t a g e of 5 0, w h en sh e w a s

con fin ed to th e Mon tdev er g u es in st itu t ion in

sou th er n Fr a n ce, r em a in in g th er e u n til h er dea th

th ir ty y ea r s la ter .

Yet it ’s pr ecisely Du m on t ’s in sisten ce on th e m ost

u n sett lin g side of h is h er oin e’s pr edica m en t th a t

m a kes it a ll th e m or e h a r r ow in g . “ I ca n ’t sta n d th e

sig h t of th ese cr ea tu r es,” Cla u del (Bin och e) y ells a t

on e poin t , a s if ech oin g th e kn ee-jer k r ea ct ion of

a n y on e in th e a u dien ce w itn essin g th e u se of

sev er ely disa bled in div idu a ls on scr een , especia lly

w h en th ey ’r e r u bbin g sh ou lder s w ith a n A -list

a ctr ess w h ose bea u ty h a s on ly deepen ed w ith th e

y ea r s.

A n d w h ile m a n y m a y w on der w h eth er Du m on t h a s

cr ossed th e lin e fr om a r t to ex ploita t ion -- in h is

fa v or , th e closin g cr edits cite sev er a l m en ta l h ea lth

a ssocia t ion s a n d pr ofession a ls in v olv ed in th e

pr odu ct ion -- th e ch oice u lt im a tely ser v es th e

n a r r a t iv e, u n der lin in g th e ch a sm sepa r a t in g

Cla u del fr om th e oth er pa t ien ts, a n d th e fa ct th a t

sh e clea r ly n ev er sh ou ld h a v e been in ter n ed a t a ll,

a t lea st in su ch a fa cility .

In spir ed by cor r espon den ce betw een th e a r t ist a n d

h er y ou n g er br oth er , Pa u l (th ea tr e a ctor Jea n -Lu c

V in cen t ), h im self a fa m ou s poet a n d dr a m a tu r g e,

th e stor y beg in s w h er e Nu y tten ’s v er sion en ded,

pickin g u p w ith Cla u del a fter sh e’s a lr ea dy been a t

th e a sy lu m for tw o y ea r s, a n d focu sin g on th e sh or t

per iod lea din g u p to Pa u l’s v isit -- on e w h ich ca r r ies

w ith it th e h ope of fa m ily a ffect ion a n d, possibly ,

Ca m ille’s r elea se.

Th e open in g r eels tr a il Ma dem oiselle Cla u del, a s

sh e’s r efer r ed to, th r ou g h ou t th e m ediev a l cor r idor s

a n d solem n g r ou n ds of th e cloister ed h ospita l, w h ich

cin em a tog r a ph er Gu illa u m e Deffon t a in es (Pirate TV) ca ptu r es in m eticu lou sly

lit w idescr een com posit ion s, w h ose n a tu r a l g r ey -blu e color pa lette r eca lls th e

pa in t in g s of Joh a n n es V erm eer -- a n in flu en ce em ph a sized by th e bla ck-

a n d-w h ite t ile floor s a n d da r k w ood decor s (cou r tesy of Rit on Du pire-Clem en t ),

a s w ell a s th e h ea v y r obes (by A lexa n dra Ch a rles a n d Brigit t e Ma ssa y -

Sersou r ) w or n by th e n u r sin g sta ff.

Keepin g to h er self w h ile obser v in g th e oth er in m a tes w ith a m ix of cu r iosity ,

disg u st a n d, a t t im es, a ffect ion , Ca m ille seem s to be m or e or less in h er r ig h t m in d

-- th a t is besides h er fea r of bein g poison ed by h er for m er lov er , Rodin . Wh en h is

n a m e is m en tion ed du r in g a n in ter v iew w ith th e clin ic’s psy ch ia tr ist (Robert

Leroy ), it sets Cla u del off on a m a d r a n t w h ich sh ow s th a t , w h ile sh e m a y n ot


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n ecessa r ily be in sa n e, sh e’s v er y , v er y pissed off a t h er ex , ev en if it ’s been tw en ty

y ea r s sin ce sh e br oke off th e a ffa ir (w h en th e scu lptor r efu sed to lea v e h is w ife…

ty pica l.)

Like m a n y scen es in th e m ov ie, th e ca m er a r em a in s g lu ed to Bin och e th r ou g h ou t

h er m on olog u e -- th is tech n iqu e r ea ch es its a poth eosis in a la te sequ en ce w h er e th e

len s pu sh es in so close to h er fa ce, it m ig h t a s w ell be in 3 D -- r ev ea lin g Ca m ille’s

con sta n t str u g g le to con ta in feelin g s th a t a r e for ev er on th e v er g e of destr oy in g

h er . It ’s a str on g fea t of dir ect in g a n d a ct in g , on e w h ich con fir m s Bin och e’s

dedica t ion to difficu lt a n d ela bor a te r oles th a t ten d to h ig h lig h t h er m a tu r ity ,

r a th er th a n h ide it .

Th e secon d pa r t of th e n a r r a t iv e sw itch es poin t-of-v iew s to focu s on Pa u l w h ile h e

jou r n ey s to th e a sy lu m a n d w a x es poet ic a bou t God, n a tu r e a n d h is idol A rt h u r

Rim ba u d (sev er a l tex ts by Cla u del frere w er e u sed in th e scr ipt). If su ch scen es

a r e less con v in cin g a s a w h ole, th ey a llow Du m on t to m edita te on th e poet ’s

Ca th olic m y st icism -- plu s a r ea lly n ifty v in ta g e a u tom obile -- ta kin g u s a w a y

fr om th e h ellish qu otidia n of Mon tdev er g u es tow a r ds m or e lofty r eflect ion s.

Bu t Pa u l’s m eta ph y sica l detou r on ly ser v es to u n der scor e Ca m ille’s ph y sica l

ca pt iv ity on ce th e tw o com e tog eth er in th e film ’s fin a l a ct . A n d w h ile th e closin g

sequ en ces a r e in som e w a y s in con clu siv e, ev en open -en ded in a w a y th a t

Du m on t ’s film s u su a lly a r en ’t , th er e’s n o secon d-g u essin g a fa te th a t h istor y h a s

a lr ea dy sea led.

Production com panies: 3B Productions

Cast: Juliette Binoche, Jean-Luc Vincent, Robert Leroy

Director: Bruno Dum ont

Screenw riter: Bruno Dumont, freely inspired by correspondence betw een Cam ille and

Paul Claudel

Producers: Jean Brehat, Rachid Bouchareb, Muriel Merlin

Directors of photography: Guillaum e Deffontaines

Production des igner: Riton Dupire-Clem ent

Costum e des igners: Alexandra Charles , Brigitte Massay-Sersour

Editors: Bruno Dumont, Basile Belkhiri

Sales Agent: Wild Bunch

No rating, 95 m inutes

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