Private Fears in Public Places – 2006 Resnais

A great film for any auteur at any stage in their career- but for Rensais to make Private Fears in Public Places at age 84—remarkable
a sort of distant cousin of Resnais’ 1980 masterwork Mon oncle d’Amérique– about strangers who intersect (boyfriend/girlfriend, coworkers and brother/sister but also a bartender, real estate agent, caregiver) —certainly a drama subgenre of films like exists from Grand Hotel to Amores Perros, Magnolia, Nashville
Resnais uses the artificial snowflake as an editing/bridging device between the 40-50 or so individual vignettes bouncing around- very well done

Resnais using obstructions (in the house, office, bar, etc) as literal distancing barriers between the characters who never fully connect (which I think is part of Resnais’ thesis)—one through these white blinds, one through decorative thorns, one through pink/orange colored beads at the gorgeously designed bar—it’s visual style matching and reflecting narrative—he doesn’t go far enough or keep it up though. If he had this would be a much better film

A series of 1 on 1 conversations—often bearing their soul
A great shot at 96 shot of the two in the office talking with her open, and he’s obstructed fully by the furniture- a great shot
Followed closely but a perfectly symmetrical and split shot of the office in a medium long shot- stunning

Like Mon oncle d’Amérique this isn’t a farce- this isn’t Bunuel laughing at the banalities of life or the ineptitude of the bourgeois (this isn’t a knock on Bunuel – just description)… It isn’t realism either though. Resnais treats his characters tenderly.
In the strong finale it starts to snow inside- a wonderful formal moment