Second part of my Rohmer Project. I decided that I wanted to do a chronological screening of his films. I started with the Moral Tales. That's why I needed to watch the first ones!
They're actually short/medium-length films: The Bakery Girl of Monceau and Suzanne's Career. They're both set in Paris and have for main characters young law and philosophy students, both males. And what is quite interesting is that if I sometimes find it hard to know precisely where is the moral prejudice or dilemma in Rohmer's films, it's pretty clear in those two.
The first one is about a man who is in love with a woman he doesn't know but that he crosses every day on the street. When he finally talks to her, she's in a hurry but promises him that they'll meet again soon. After a week, he's kind of discouraged. While walking the streets of the neighborhood hoping to ran into her again, he goes to a bakery where the bakery girl seems to be interested in him. Here is the dilemma: should he date the girl - knowing that she's not the one he is interested in - because she is here whereas the other one disappeared?
The second one is longer and more complex. Even if there is a main character, others are also important. A young philosophy student, Bertrand, (who happens to live above "Le Luco" café) and a friend (Guillaume) meet with Suzanne, a young (but not too pretty) woman. Guillaume starts to date her. Bertrand disapproves because Suzanne is not good enough for his friend and he hates the lack of self consciousness and the rude manners of the girl.However, when Guillaume leaves Suzanne, she keeps calling Bertrand to hang out. The whole issue is about how fast you can judge someone, and how things can change, changing radically your opinion on a person.
I liked very much Rohmer's intentions in those two films, the way he shots Paris and male characters. And what stroke me is how contemporary his discourse is. TO BE SEEN !
MJ.
