Cinema Wednesdays - Loris S. Musumeci
«To some you're a tragic saint; to others, a whore.»
A white canvas kite flies in the white sky. It drowns there. Lost in the wind. Here and there. Pushed by celestial waves. Held back by the clouds. «Look, it's coming up. Romy Schneider is taking a spa treatment at the Sofitel in Quiberon, Brittany. The star is trying to heal the contrasts in her life. Alcoholism suffered, sobriety desired; distressing inconstancy, afflicted constancy; real unhappiness, the phantasm of happiness.
She is joined by an art restorer friend and journalists from the German tabloid magazine Stern. They waited for him in the hotel bar, served by a bartender with a moustache and bow tie’. Their aim? The Sissi actress in one, revealing her suffering under the effect of manipulation, and paradoxically revealing her true face. That of an alcoholic who doesn't see her children, who has no money, who lives in conflict with her family. In short, that of ’an unhappy forty-two-year-old woman«.
The three contrasts
Who is Romy Schneider? Who does she want to be? Such is the first contrast. Throughout the film, the movie star seems to want to change, but never quite succeeds. She is Romy Schneider, carrying the weight of unhappiness on her shoulders and in her glass. She wants to heal, but gives in to the temptation of what humiliates and destroys her. She doesn't want to be bitten by journalists who «are sharks». And yet she seems to shove herself into their jaws. So that the sharp teeth kill her cruelly, or put her peacefully to sleep.
The second contrast is that which she used to send directly to her admirers, and which she now sends to the public of 3 days in Quiberon. Romy Schneider reassures, Romy Schneider anguishes. She's endearing, of course, because she's naive and fragile; but she's also exasperating, because she's sometimes vicious and always a slave. Indeed, there's not a minute in the film when the star, brought back to life by Marie Bäumer's performance, appears free and happy.
Finally, it's the technical contrast that sets the portrait of Romy Schneider in the setting of Quiberon, the hotel, the ocean, the suspicious interview. This is achieved through the distinctive black-and-white photography. Clothes play a part in the play of light, sometimes showing the characters in a dark night, sometimes in a brighter day. The actress's white wool sweater doesn't save her from misfortune. It does, however, express her opposition to others. In fact, a wonderful shot shows Romy and her friend in the hallway, after an argument; one in white, the other in black. What's more, one is facing forward, while the other is turning away.
The sets and landscapes also play on the contrast between black and white. Lamps fill with dazzling white, and everything else fades to a dark gray. Liquids, from festive Moët to impulsive wine, are also overflowing with light in a dark frame. The landscapes, meanwhile, are a sign of the sober but intoxicating elegance of Emily Atef's camera. At this point, photography achieves a finality that is itself, for the delight of a gaze hungry for beauty and simplicity. From the white curtains of the hotel room, we move to a shot of the rocks by the sea. They are a deep, intense black.
And the faces. Romy is a woman divided, both by her behavior and by the shadow that inhabits half her face. Journalist Michael Jurgs is just as divided as his prey. When his suit brightens, his face darkens. He's tortured by the idea of conducting the interview through the easy manipulation of an alcoholic, but excited about the personal success that will follow. A more or less similar division can be seen in the actress's friend. While her face is always in the light, and her skin always white, the greyness inside her dominates.
A real work of art drowned in alcohol and time
The director shows talent and originality. Her use of black and white isn't just a cheap trick to make you think she's making auteur films. Black & white carries meaning, and each of its processes carries meaning; even the photographic game aimed directly at the beauty of the image. But just as Romy Schneider makes real efforts to heal herself and ends up drowning in alcohol, the feature film is caught in the same trap. The underlying artistic work is real and of good quality, but the film is inward-looking.
3 days in Quiberon is certainly boring after an hour. Of course, the emptiness it reveals parallels Romy Schneider's life, but too much meaning kills meaning. The form reveals the substance, but it can't afford to go all the way in imitating the substance, otherwise the film becomes as sadly unsuccessful as the main character's real life - or, at the very least, as it appears in the autobiographical film.
Marie Bäumer's acting could have added to the film's shortcomings. However, as Romy Schneider's personality becomes better known, this impression is belied. A priori, a somewhat objective critic would say that the German actress overplays the unhappy star. She seems too intent on showing the quest for happiness, and the downfalls, mood swings and relapses. The laughter is exaggerated, the sadness too spontaneous. In fact, the actress is brilliant, insofar as her attitude of excess builds the character of Romy Schneider as seen by Emily Atef. This master stroke notwithstanding, 3 days in Quiberon remains contrasted in its success, faithful to the photography and to Romy.
«I'm an unhappy forty-two-year-old woman named Romy Schneider.»
Write to the author : loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Look Now!
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