change something

In Les temps qui changent, Gerard Depardieu plays Antoine, a engineer assigned to oversee the construction of a new television station in Tangiers, Morocco, that will rival Al Jazeera in coverage. His ex-wife, Cecile (Catherine Deneuve) lives in Tangiers with her husband and works in news radio. The film explores love, commitment and compassion with Tangiers as a backdrop. It's a real lousy film.

At the beginning of the film, Cecile's husband's kid, Sami, has just arrived in Tangiers with his girlfriend, whose twin sister also lives there. Techine uses these myriad relationships to comment on the evolution of love and intimacy while time, location and culture change. It's a commendable ambition, but the execution is tiresome and surprising lackluster, that is, considering the was shot on location in the beautiful port city.

Depardieu's Antonie is almost too dense and aloof to considered a valiant lover/stalker, and Deneuve's Cecile is too scattered and contrary to be seen as compassionate and patient. The film is all over the place, with various subplots--"the twin" and Sami's father forging a cultural bond, Sami and his gay lover's exploits--that go nowhere.

The audience applauded modestly at the conclusion the screening, but perhaps out of routine instead of genuine admiration.

This ends the first weekend. Looking forward to the next ...