Actors: Mathieu Amalric, Katja Rupe
Favorites of the Moon was one of the
films screened at this year’s City of Lights City of Angels Film Festival, a
French film fest based out of Hollywood
Similar to the
ensemble oddities within Robert Altman’s Short Cuts or Paul Thomas Anderson’s
Magnolia, Favorites of the Moon takes its title from a line from Shakespeare’s
Henry IV, as a description of thieves. This is fitting, as theft is what
carries some of the film’s most significant symbols throughout the film.
Opening with a sequence showing the creation of a set of 18th
century Limoges china and the simultaneous painting of a 19th
century painting being created in the same home at a different period, we spend
the rest of the film following these items into modern times. They are stolen
by an assortment of characters, passed along through a maze of intersecting
subplots.
Among these
intersecting storylines is an arms dealer (Pascal Aubier), who sells explosives
to an untrustworthy terrorist with the help of his friend, Gustave (Bernard
Eisenschitz). Gustave’s girlfriend (Katja Rupe) is sleeping with the police
chief (Hans Peter Cloos), who is also a rightful owner of the painting, prior
to an inevitable theft. In a running gag of the film, each time the painting is
stolen, it becomes smaller from the cutting out of the frame. These thefts are
predominantly carried out by father/son team (played by Jean-Pierre Beauviala
and Mathieu Amalric). There are additional anarchist characters, among the most
entertaining being a group of elderly men who set out to destroy a statue they
dislike.
The Blu-ray
release is most recommendable due to the clarity of images in the restored
print, but there are also some additional extras to make it worthwhile. Along
with the feature-length commentary track by critic Phillip Lopate, the package
comes with a booklet insert that features a new essay by critic Giovanni
Vimercati.
Entertainment Value:
5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 6.5/10
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