Review of Venice: “A couple” by Frederick Wiseman

Two clear themes emerged at this year’s Venice Film Festival: one is the concept of the lost soul (Bard, white noise) and the second is the sometimes dangerous consequence of involving famous directors in their dream projects (also white noise, bard). At the age of 92, Frederic Wiseman has earned the right to do whatever he wants, but anyone too excited at the prospect of this, his first feature film, should know that A couple a) it is not a fiction at all and b) it is a work of his famous long-running documentaries.

The lost soul of the film competing in Venice is Leo Tolstoy’s wife, Sophia, played by French actress Nathalie Boutefeu, who reads a text compiled from several letters between her and her famous literary husband. Aside from Sophia’s hairstyle and dress, there’s no trace of the period, and the decision to shoot in a random area of ​​natural beauty (actually an island off the coast of Brittany) saves a lot of location and props.

Photos of the Venice Film Festival 2022

What we are left with, however, is an almost painfully austere piece portraying creative women: Terence Davies. quiet passionHis tribute to the poet Emily Dickinson, or that of Wash Westmoreland Colette – Looks like Ziegfeld garbage.

Written and interpreted in French, hence the title, it is entirely composed by Boutefey in the spirit of Sophia directly in front of the camera, revealing how, at the age of 18, she felt honored to be the bride of such a great and worldly man. just to be aware of her. that her vulnerability matched more than her talent.

Speaking directly with him, she talks about his jealousy, his laziness and his indifference as a father and lover, pausing from time to time to reflect on the rare good times. Sophia, who was much more than Tolstoy’s muse, she also reflects on her own sacrifice (“I spent my time suppressing my talents for you,” she says accusingly). In between, their expressions are dotted with repetitive shots of nature – crashing waves, ducks, frogs, and ants (lots of ants) – that instantly get boring and what feels like 64 minutes on paper becomes an eternity.

The decision to put it in competition is staggering, as evidenced by the number of walks in such a short time. But Wiseman’s decision to keep things so subtle in a packed two-hour film festival at least shows that he knew what he was doing wouldn’t necessarily be to everyone’s taste.