20 hours ago, I just finished this film, here is what I was thinking: I was unsuccessful to feign that I love this film even though I had tried rather hard during its duration. The inconsistent parts - coincidently I completely this film in two days, which baffled me on the second day, I had to go backward the DVD to check if I had missed something, how come all of a sudden the two strangers became so intrigued to the fictional role-playing game? - is beyond any interpretation.
Now 20 hours has passed, I start to write my review of this film with my afterthought, I figure out that the whole shift began from the little mistake made by the shopkeeper of the bar. Relating to the discussion of original versus copy and the title itself, the consequential husband-and-wife acting could be conveniently associated, the writer himself is a perfect copy of the woman's ex-husband, thus, straightaway, everything becomes lucid and I commence to appreciate this film in a different point of view.
One cannot be unaware of the film's distinctive shots, which largely focus on the main characters accompanying with other trivial characters' natural existence in the background, anyway it effectively attenuates the blandness and the camera precisely captures all the subtlest expressions (mainly facial) from the two leads.
As a conversation-crammed two-hander, comparison with Richard Linklater's BEFORE SUNRISE (1995) / BEFORE SUNSET (2004) is spontaneously unavoidable, frankly speaking I prefer Linklater's oeuvres, by comparison, Abbas' film is insufficiently based on a sole idea (a marvelous one though), when you pass the aftershock/confusion, what the two leads are discussing doesn't give much impression on a general level, still, I am not denying the performances here, Binoche's Canne's winning last year is praiseworthy, as for the first-timer William Shimell (a world-famous British baritone), not a groundbreaking debut but also nothing to complain, he seems just be right for his role, that's all.
I haven't watched many Abbas' masterpieces, which might also impede my dedication and judgement, I shall try to squeeze a chance to re-watch it, perhaps until then, I will be able to be more unprejudiced and unambiguous.
Now 20 hours has passed, I start to write my review of this film with my afterthought, I figure out that the whole shift began from the little mistake made by the shopkeeper of the bar. Relating to the discussion of original versus copy and the title itself, the consequential husband-and-wife acting could be conveniently associated, the writer himself is a perfect copy of the woman's ex-husband, thus, straightaway, everything becomes lucid and I commence to appreciate this film in a different point of view.
One cannot be unaware of the film's distinctive shots, which largely focus on the main characters accompanying with other trivial characters' natural existence in the background, anyway it effectively attenuates the blandness and the camera precisely captures all the subtlest expressions (mainly facial) from the two leads.
As a conversation-crammed two-hander, comparison with Richard Linklater's BEFORE SUNRISE (1995) / BEFORE SUNSET (2004) is spontaneously unavoidable, frankly speaking I prefer Linklater's oeuvres, by comparison, Abbas' film is insufficiently based on a sole idea (a marvelous one though), when you pass the aftershock/confusion, what the two leads are discussing doesn't give much impression on a general level, still, I am not denying the performances here, Binoche's Canne's winning last year is praiseworthy, as for the first-timer William Shimell (a world-famous British baritone), not a groundbreaking debut but also nothing to complain, he seems just be right for his role, that's all.
I haven't watched many Abbas' masterpieces, which might also impede my dedication and judgement, I shall try to squeeze a chance to re-watch it, perhaps until then, I will be able to be more unprejudiced and unambiguous.