Presque Rien [2001]

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully intriguing, and worth seeing but not completely satisfying.......2007-09-20

I really enjoyed `Presque Rien' (`Almost Nothing') - it was a beautifully moving and tragic love story, and one that reflects the delicacy of first love. It's also intriguingly different from a lot of movies with similar subject matter, though one major complaint is the seeming-unwillingness of the director to reveal all that's truly gone on...
The film plays with time, to reflect the current state and the past, some time ago in summer at a seaside resort. In the present, the film begins with a short-haired, pale and delicate young man travelling alone in the midst of winter. You soon learn that he's been admitted to hospital for some reason; shortly afterwards, you learn that he has tried to commit suicide. You also learn about how the main character, Mathieu, `learned' he was gay and developed a relationship with another young man, Cedric, whilst holidaying at a seaside resort where Mathieu's family owns a holiday home. The relationship is truthfully and vibrantly depicted, in the free, hot days of that summer spent on the beach or with Mathieu and Cedric exploring together, or having sex and fun on the beach at night. The intimacy and tenderness between the two leads is really very touching and beautifully acted. The visual contrast between that time and the `present' is really striking: From the joyous vibrancy of the summer romance to a time where everything is grey and cold; where Mathieu has lost his tan and shaved his head; and where he travels without Cedric.
With Mathieu on his vacation were his sister, determined to challenge her brother's secret relationship with spiteful comments; his mother deep in the depths of depression over the loss of a baby, born with cancer; and an aunt, Annick who keeps a secret relationship of her own. The tension in the family is really palpable, with both Mathieu and his sister being clearly affected by their mother's determined mourning. Mathieu, in one scene, cries privately and this demonstrates he hides his pain from his relatives and from Cedric.
As the film progresses, you learn that by the end of summer Mathieu had revealed his relationship to his family who took it well and liked Cedric. Mathieu decides to stay on and live with Cedric, transferring his degree to a provincial university. But Cedric and Mathieu come from very different worlds - Mathieu seems to come from a wealthy family living in Paris, has a passion for architecture and is going to study it at university; Cedric has no education, serves `goufres' / waffles for a living, has had no contact with his mother since he was a young child and has worked as a rent boy to make ends meet (and faced the dangers of this work, including being beaten up by a homophobe); but plans to study computing. These differences suggest maybe it won't work out...
In the end, you learn that Mathieu and Cedric did live together for some time, until at some point Mathieu was driven to a suicide attempt, leaving a note for Cedric (who found him), saying it was over. Mathieu's journey back to the resort leads him to meet with a former partner of Cedric's and ask what went wrong. Other than demonstrating how changed Mathieu is and the possible dangers of love, no clear reason for his suicide attempt is given. In talking with Mathieu's psychologist, Cedric says he once cheated but `it was nothing'. It could be that this caused Mathieu's depression or a combination of things - his suppression of his feelings about his Mother's enduring mourning, his sense of disconnection from his family, the pressures of coming out...?
The film is visually just lovely, using natural lighting and achieving such an effective contrast between past and present. All of the actors are really good, with the leads exceptional. It is also very affecting and seemed to haunt me for a while afterwards. It's definitely worth seeing, and has an intriguing plot and good, steady flow with the time changes being effective. But ultimately you're not given all the answers to your questions, so the ending is not completely satisfying.

Ummmmmmm Stephane!!!!!.......2007-06-12

Any Stephane Rideau fans out there must really love this one (myself included!) as not only does he give an outstanding performance once again, in a bitter sweet tale of love & hurt with an open ending that makes you make your own mind up, he also has trouble keeping his clothes on throughout a lot of the film! Never mind eh???

Loved the pace.......2005-11-19

You could argue that there isn't much of a plot or pace in Presque Rien -a story of two teenage guys falling in love, which moves at tortoise speed. A slight exaggeration there - but just to give you some idea about the movies pace - which I was eventually thankful for.

So many movies rely on blazing special effects, and a pace so quick, you barely have chance to munch on your popcorn. Let's not bore you with specifics here - I think we all know a blockbuster, which moves at herculean speed. How refreshing it was, to see a story slowly evolving - with the possibilty (thankyou) of getting to know the characters!

We see how human emotion is never simple - especially when it concerns the first fruits of young love - and this is the films strength. It pulls you in, and takes you on an emotional journey. Well, that's if you like that kind of trip, and I suppose you have to be in the mood for it. I certainly must have been!

There is some great scenery - specifically that of the South of France - with its sand dunes and clear blue sky. This is in contrast to the stark clinical coldness of the hospital, we see one of the guys visiting.

For all you people out there, who like a bit of eye candy - the two lovers look great . When we finally see them, getting it on - it seems more of an emotionally charged scene, rather than an erotic one - as we have been made aware of their conflicts.

Expect the film to end as it started - there isn't going to be any ' guns a blazing ' or some mad implausible twist. However, it does end on a calm note, and resolves some of the confusion that the films main character feels, about his sexuality.

Signing Off

Peter

A Brutally Honest Film.......2005-08-13

Presque Rien is a showcase for the underexplored side of first love, with the added confusion of a burgeoning sexuality. In many films the 'boy meets boy' plot is viewed through a fairy tale perspective, where potentially troubling issues are easy to reach a conclusion. Presque Rien is not this kind of easy film.

The narrative follows Mathieu and his relationship with a youth he meets on holiday, Cedric, and the aftermath of it. As someone who has experienced many of the same things as the protagonist, the realistic nature of aspects that many other filmmakers ignore made the film anything but easy to watch, but you keep watching because you care for Mathieu, he is obviously a fragile, uneasy person, and Jeremie Elkaim deserves much praise for his delicate portrayal of the varied emotions he displays here, lust, 'love', despair, determination and hope all form part of this tour de force of a film.

As with any teenage relationship, sex plays a large role in the film, and some of the sex scenes are explicit, and the male leads seem to spend most of the film in various states of undress, so anyone wary of this may find it best to avoid this film. If not, see this film, a film that makes its gay teenagers much more than either victims or queens. See it.

Long hot summers.......2004-07-01

This is modern French art house, with the production values of Gus van Sant and the depth of Almodóvar, a truly beautifully studied and moving film. The characters of Mathieu and Céderic are cleverly poised the confusion of one and the surity of the other working brilliantly against each other. The tragedy of lost love is felt strongly throughout. Sit down, relax and enjoy.

Average customer rating:
Eva Fraser - Basic Facial Fitness
Starring: Eva Fraser
Manufacturer: Blackhorse Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001V019I
Release Date: 2004-04-05

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