Review of Who Knows?

Some of the reflexive anti-French vitriol below is regrettable-opining that Rivette may have been on the government payroll all his working life (un peu jaloux, non?) and in suggesting that French films are made solely for their director's enjoyment and that they are "overly intellectual". Interesting. Very rarely here about anything being "overly destructive" or "overly violent". Cependant. I can never understand anti-intellectualism. Is it bad to be intelligent? You don't often hear people lamenting movies for being excessively dumb. OK, sorry....just read all forty comments so far and the vitriol is running strong about this movie, not sure why. I agree, it's not the best French comedy. In fact, I think calling it a comedy is bit disingenuous. This really is a farce, in the best sense of the word. There aren't huge laughs to be had here, more nods and chuckles of recognition and appreciation. I would give it about 8.4/10. If you want good recent French comedies, check out The Dinner Game, The Taste of Others which are both very funny. But this is nevertheless a well-made, competent film about the complexities and complications of peoples' love lives and how the actions of two will pinball and spin off and effect others. Wow, Dominique (Helene de Fougerolle) is a stunner. OK, got that out of the way. Fine performances in particular from the somewhat neurotic, insecure actress Camille (Jeanne Balboni) who reminded me of some of Diane Keaton's classic characters in her personality and also her put-upon-and-pressured-and- stressed-wants-to-do-the-right-thing-but-it's-not-easy director and co-star in their production, not to mention her boyfriend, Ugo (Sergio Castellito) who seems like a fundamentally good guy who is, as I mentioned, stressed out and totally in lust with Dominique (and who can blame him?) but seems to want to remain loyal to the flighty and confused Camille. Rivette seems quite accomplished in that one's loyalties (if one can stay awake-I agree, some more judicious editing might have been in order) switch during the film and one finds one's affections for the film's characters shifting. Initially, one seems sympathetic to the scholarly philosophy professor (Jacques Bonaffe) and perhaps a little antagonistic toward Ugo for his impatience with Camille and the sense that he might be a little boorish. And one seems sympathetic to Sonia (Marianne Basler) also as she seems the least neurotic of the four main characters and as, perhaps the character to ground the others in reality. However she turns out to have her own skeletons and isn't what one might at first expect. And, well, let's just say you probably won't think quite as highly of Pierre by the end of the film while Ugo seems more honorable and straight forward. I liked that Rivette allowed Camille and Sonia to work together a little bit in spite of Sonia's quite reasonable distaste for Camille. Rivette-characteristically for French films as against US films, at least generally speaking-allows us to have mixed feelings about characters. That's how things are in real life anyway, right? People are not all good or bad.

However, a couple of serious questions, and I'd love to read any future commenters answer these questions for me.

1. How does Arthur (Bruno Tedeschini) know Sonia has a nice ring? 2. Why is Arthur content at the end of the film? 3. Why would Sonia be so amenable to Pierre at the end?

Those three significant questions aside, still really enjoyed this film. Yes, it is overlong, but if you can hang through the first 25 minutes of the film and you see where the film is heading, and if you like a film that allows its characters to develop and reveal different sides, and find out that folks often aren't as they seem, this could well be a very enjoyable film for you.