This movie focuses on the relationship between two women, one a famous actress approaching middle age and the other her young personal assistant. The story plays out on three levels. First there is the relationship between Maria, the famous actress, and Valentine, Maria's young personal assistant. Second there are the women in a play that Maria is rehearsing, with Val reading one of the parts. Thirdly there is the relationship between the real life actors, Juliette Binoche as Maria and Kristen Stewart as Valentine.
The generation gap between Maria and Val is a major theme. Maria almost takes pride in her disregard for the world that Val knows. On many occasions Val will mention a name of some famous actress or writer and Maria will admit to never having heard of them. At first it seems that Val is able to handle this with some humor, but it comes to be more and more of a frustration for her and she finds it hard not to take Maria's disdain for the younger culture as a personal insult. This hit home for me in that I had not known of Stewart before having seen her here; I have come to understand that she is famous in her own right.
The relationship between the women in the play mimics that between Maria and Val to the point that it is sometimes hard to determine if, in rehearsing the play, it is the women in the play conversing, or actually Maria and Val. Not to be ignored is that Binoche and Stewart themselves fit the circumstances of Maria and Val.
Trying to figure out what's going on between Maria and Val was what kept my interest. At some points I thought that Maria might be developing a strong attachment to Val, even perhaps sexual. There are several scenes that imply this. For example when Val takes off from the house that the two women are sharing Maria quickly runs upstairs to watch the car as Val drives off. At another point Maria looks in with intensity to a scantily clad Val as she sleeps. Toward the end when Val tells Maria that things are not working for her, Maria tells Val not to leave, and when Val says she will, Maria says, "Please stay. I need you" and then goes over to hug Val.
Val's feelings for Maria are even more ambiguous. She clearly admires Maria, but there is more there. When Maria is on stage to give a talk Val is in the wings smiling and saying, "Go get 'em Tiger." There is a scene that has a scantily clad Val swimming with a naked Maria. The two are having more fun than I would expect an actor and her assistant to have. When Maria hugs Val after pleading with her to stay, Val responds but then backs off in a confused emotional state. There are hints that Val may have lesbian tendencies. When Val says she is going to meet a male friend Maria asks, "Are you involved with him? I mean, is this a thing now? I'm thrilled that you have a boyfriend, there haven't been that many. And when there is one, you burn through him pretty fast." It would be unusual for a woman as attractive as Val not to have many boyfriends. Then there is the mysterious scene where Val is driving on curvy roads in the mountains in a fog and then stops, gets out of the car, and vomits. Is she sick from the curvy roads, or is she having an emotional breakdown, realizing that things are not all that well between her and Maria?
And what is to be made of the sexual elements of the two women in the play that Maria is rehearsing as it might imply something between Val and Maria? Trying to figure out the complex relationship between Val and Maria is confounding. I guess it is what it is and it's a mistake to over-analyze it, but the ambiguities enticed me to figure it out.
As you would expect, Juliette Binoche stands out in this role. I admire her for taking it on, since the portrait of Maria is not completely flattering and the parallels to Binoche's own life are clear. Appearing without makeup on occasion, as she does, strikes me as the mark of a confident actress. Binoche is also up against a young actress who more than holds her own. In fact I was quite taken with Stewart's performance.
There is occasional humorous relief. Val reads some of the offers that Maria is getting, noting that "there's a Spanish horror flick, it's pretty gory, you'd be playing a Mother Superior. There are werewolves involved for whatever reason." There is a magazine offer to do a story on successful aging that gets a resounding "no" from Maria--this is a sensitive issue for her, in commenting on a line that one of the characters has in the play she is rehearsing she says, "Time's gone by and she can't accept it. Me neither, I guess." After meeting with a future co-star and her boyfriend Maria remarks on how she liked them and how nice they were. Val comments that of course Maria would like them, since they spent the whole evening flattering her.
In spite of Maria's ambivalence about technology it's interesting to see what a role that plays in her life, from essential cell phones, to tablet computers, skype, google, GPS, etc.
The significance of the title "Clouds of Sils Maria" is up for debate, but it is an unfortunate, uninviting title. When I have recommended this movie to friends none has been able to remember the title without asking me again. A title like "A Generation Gap" would have encouraged more people to see this well-acted examination of ambiguities in human relationships.
The generation gap between Maria and Val is a major theme. Maria almost takes pride in her disregard for the world that Val knows. On many occasions Val will mention a name of some famous actress or writer and Maria will admit to never having heard of them. At first it seems that Val is able to handle this with some humor, but it comes to be more and more of a frustration for her and she finds it hard not to take Maria's disdain for the younger culture as a personal insult. This hit home for me in that I had not known of Stewart before having seen her here; I have come to understand that she is famous in her own right.
The relationship between the women in the play mimics that between Maria and Val to the point that it is sometimes hard to determine if, in rehearsing the play, it is the women in the play conversing, or actually Maria and Val. Not to be ignored is that Binoche and Stewart themselves fit the circumstances of Maria and Val.
Trying to figure out what's going on between Maria and Val was what kept my interest. At some points I thought that Maria might be developing a strong attachment to Val, even perhaps sexual. There are several scenes that imply this. For example when Val takes off from the house that the two women are sharing Maria quickly runs upstairs to watch the car as Val drives off. At another point Maria looks in with intensity to a scantily clad Val as she sleeps. Toward the end when Val tells Maria that things are not working for her, Maria tells Val not to leave, and when Val says she will, Maria says, "Please stay. I need you" and then goes over to hug Val.
Val's feelings for Maria are even more ambiguous. She clearly admires Maria, but there is more there. When Maria is on stage to give a talk Val is in the wings smiling and saying, "Go get 'em Tiger." There is a scene that has a scantily clad Val swimming with a naked Maria. The two are having more fun than I would expect an actor and her assistant to have. When Maria hugs Val after pleading with her to stay, Val responds but then backs off in a confused emotional state. There are hints that Val may have lesbian tendencies. When Val says she is going to meet a male friend Maria asks, "Are you involved with him? I mean, is this a thing now? I'm thrilled that you have a boyfriend, there haven't been that many. And when there is one, you burn through him pretty fast." It would be unusual for a woman as attractive as Val not to have many boyfriends. Then there is the mysterious scene where Val is driving on curvy roads in the mountains in a fog and then stops, gets out of the car, and vomits. Is she sick from the curvy roads, or is she having an emotional breakdown, realizing that things are not all that well between her and Maria?
And what is to be made of the sexual elements of the two women in the play that Maria is rehearsing as it might imply something between Val and Maria? Trying to figure out the complex relationship between Val and Maria is confounding. I guess it is what it is and it's a mistake to over-analyze it, but the ambiguities enticed me to figure it out.
As you would expect, Juliette Binoche stands out in this role. I admire her for taking it on, since the portrait of Maria is not completely flattering and the parallels to Binoche's own life are clear. Appearing without makeup on occasion, as she does, strikes me as the mark of a confident actress. Binoche is also up against a young actress who more than holds her own. In fact I was quite taken with Stewart's performance.
There is occasional humorous relief. Val reads some of the offers that Maria is getting, noting that "there's a Spanish horror flick, it's pretty gory, you'd be playing a Mother Superior. There are werewolves involved for whatever reason." There is a magazine offer to do a story on successful aging that gets a resounding "no" from Maria--this is a sensitive issue for her, in commenting on a line that one of the characters has in the play she is rehearsing she says, "Time's gone by and she can't accept it. Me neither, I guess." After meeting with a future co-star and her boyfriend Maria remarks on how she liked them and how nice they were. Val comments that of course Maria would like them, since they spent the whole evening flattering her.
In spite of Maria's ambivalence about technology it's interesting to see what a role that plays in her life, from essential cell phones, to tablet computers, skype, google, GPS, etc.
The significance of the title "Clouds of Sils Maria" is up for debate, but it is an unfortunate, uninviting title. When I have recommended this movie to friends none has been able to remember the title without asking me again. A title like "A Generation Gap" would have encouraged more people to see this well-acted examination of ambiguities in human relationships.