InRO Weekly — Volume 1, Issue 10

FESTIVAL COVERAGE
REVOIR PARIS
Alice Winocour
“But as much as this search for lost memories and joys enables
Mia to both discover hitherto unseen aspects of Paris (notably, in
her search for a Senegalese kitchen worker, she finds herself in
a poor immigrant district) and have a deeper understanding of
other victims’ damaged psyches, forging more intimate bonds
with strangers in the process, the film’s somewhat loose
narrative does not always demonstrate conviction; Paris
Memories’ most tender side isn’t entirely fleshed out organically,
though it’s perhaps more apparent in certain instances… Still,
despite the lack of an entirely taut story, and the sense that
Winocour’s directions remain conservatively rooted in a familiar
sense of mise-en-scène, what does count — apart from Efira’s
effectively moving presence — is the filmmaker’s gentle tone and
observational approach, both of which help create distance
between the film’s core — Mia’s interiority — and the clichéd
socio-political intrusions that pepper its narrative.“ — AYEEN
FOROOTAN [Originally published as part of InRO’s 2022 Torinto
International Film Fest coverage.]
DIARY OF A FLEETING AFFAIR
Emmanuel Moret
“The flair and flavor of Mouret’s slick style in Diary of a Fleeting
Affair is exactly what he’s been refining for almost two decades,
transforming even the most abstract and almost implausible
scenarios into convincing streams of events without ever slightly
skewing toward an openly naturalistic approach. Through various
modes of verbal and bodily expressions, concise framings,
heightened spatial awareness, brisk music scores, and an
easygoing chemistry between Kiberlain and Macaigne, who prove
convincing in their roles of an incompatible couple — Charlotte
as an amiable, open-minded, and playful extrovert to Simon’s
mostly anxious, awkward introvert, physically defined by his
usually dwindled posture (viewed best during a teasing
threesome scene) — Mouret delivers both a jovial and surgical
inspection of the moral and philosophical dilemmas inherent to
modern affairs —especially those of the middle-aged — in
bittersweet dramedy form.“ — AYEEN FOROOTAN [Originally
published as part of InRO’s 2022 Cannes Film Festival coverage.]
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