The last six months have offered some curious and self-reflective takes on actors in films like Birdman. Clouds of Sils Maria feels like a distinctly French version of the subject matter. While the approach is far less fantastical than last year’s Best Picture winner, this is another film about the process of becoming a character and the insecurities inherent with being a celebrity. It’s highly interpretive and an acquired taste to be sure, but features excellent performances that should impress the art-house crowd.
Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is a famous actress who made her mark in a stage play decades earlier. In the performance, she played a volatile young woman who uses and manipulates her older lover, eventually resulting in the elder’s suicide. Now, Enders is being courted to play the other role opposite rising Hollywood starlet Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloë Grace Moretz). In order to prepare, the lead heads to Switzerland and runs lines with her put-upon young assistant, Valentine (Kristin Stewart).
While the brash and manipulative kid was easy for the actress to portray, Enders has far more difficulty coming to terms with the new role. She sees the older character as weak and a person who easily bows down to the will of the abusive young woman. As a result, she considers turning the part down. She and Valentine share different interpretations of the role over the course of her preparations.
It’s interesting watching the two act and react off of each other in real life as well as through multiple readings of the play. Along the way, they discuss Ellis’s work and modern films, sharing very different assumptions of the quality. Their arguments make up some of the movie’s most entertaining scenes. But much of the story delves into the uncomfortable relationship between the star and her confidant. Nothing is overtly stated, but there are parallels here and there between the play and the actual people.
As Ellis arrives and becomes a factor, further connections linking fiction and reality appear. The young starlet is as famous for her off-camera antics as her work on the big screen. While Enders is less than impressed by the outrageous behavior, she also appears slightly envious. She also realizes that some of her assumptions about a young science-fiction filmmaker may not have been accurate. It really comes down to how, or if, Enders needs to reinvent herself… and at what cost?
This film is a superbly acted by the entire cast. Binoche and Stewart have a very complex relationship and many scenes have unusual and subtle undercurrents that continue shifting as it progresses. But the leisurely pace means it takes a very long time to get moving. It is also full of back story about secondary characters and some of this doesn’t seem necessary. The slowness will be trying for many and there are a few lulls between tense moments.
The movie suggests and infers things, but doesn’t explicitly give you any answers or a big Hollywood climax. It’s entirely interpretive (like the movie’s running metaphor of a snake-like cloud shapes slithering through the mountains) and will appeal more to those with an interest in seeing a unique riff on acting or celebrity. In spite of the sluggishness, the performances were strong enough to keep this reviewer engaged and pondering the film’s meanings long after the credits rolled. Truthfully, it is one to admire more than enjoy, but those with a taste for French arthouse fare should find Clouds of Sils Maria to their liking.