The Woodman has made better movies, funnier, more graceful, and more profound... Yet this is my favourite by him, or anyone else for that matter. This strikes me as his most cogent work, the one where he not only talks about issues and throws bon-mots around, but also illustrates his points and brings them to life. (Perhaps all of them work on this level, but it seems to me that he's commeting on some of his more profound issues here). Some people find it self-indulgent (and it might be), but there are some flashes of flat-out brilliance that simply cannot be ignored.
1) Charlotte Rampling's scenes in the second half. Breathtaking, simply and utterly.
2) That fabled Allenesque combination of comedy and philosophy--always talky, but there is a masterful, almost metatextual comment in some of his scenes. (See in particular the scenes with Marie-Christine Barrault.)
3) It seems heartfelt. It feels heartfelt... and it touches you.
1) Charlotte Rampling's scenes in the second half. Breathtaking, simply and utterly.
2) That fabled Allenesque combination of comedy and philosophy--always talky, but there is a masterful, almost metatextual comment in some of his scenes. (See in particular the scenes with Marie-Christine Barrault.)
3) It seems heartfelt. It feels heartfelt... and it touches you.