"Clouds Of Sils Maria" (2014)

I won't lie...it's artsy fartsy. But if you stick through it, it's pretty good.

Most likely there will come a time in every actresses’ life where they question seriously when their age will trump their work. And when that time comes, do they drag the past memories of youth into the present day of being marginalized? I would say…yes. Even behind the scenes, I often question myself where was that young man back in his 20’s fresh out from Ohio to Los Angeles who was so inspired to be a filmmaker. The perspective changes when you get older, and you become more cynical to your place in the movie industry.

Therein lies the predicament of Maria (Juliette Binoche) in a brilliant casting choice since she has a career that mirrors this character. A big named star who straddled international stardom, she disappeared with age, only to re-emerge as a statesperson in the entertainment business. But it’s all (literally) smoke and mirrors when on a trip to honor a director who had given her start in movies, has now left her with questions about her choices. Tagging along as a dutiful assistant is Valentine (Kristen Stewart) an almost sister to Maria, we get the sense that she was a free spirit production assistant who segued into being Maria’s assistant and now grow so close, she can share closeness with her.

Unfortunately, as with all close relationships, there is a self-destructive nature. Maria is asked to play the role of the older woman in the play version of the movie where she played the younger woman. It’s a really neat gimmick in which movies get translated into a play. Maria, a star in the world, feels obligated to the role, simply because it was iconic to her. If we were to put this in modern translation…take the movie “Carol.” Cate Blanchett plays the older female role who gets entangled in a complicated relationship with Rooney Mara. Let’s say 20 years from now, Rooney is now asked to take on Cate Blanchett’s character in a play and they cast a younger actress to play Mara’s character. Let’s say this new young woman is a new Lindsey Lohan…which in this movie is Jo-Ann Ellis, played to bitchy perfection by Chloe Grace Moretz. She is an American actress who does schlocky “X-Men” movie knockoffs. And is a massive young starlet. I’m certain she is channeling Lohan. She values infamy over fame. However, is blessed with instinctual talent but cursed with self-destructive qualities. She’s that really frustrating blend of smart but devious. So, it goes without saying that Maria gets to view herself at that age, except now with a younger version of her character in the modern social media age, it drives her to overdose on over-analytics. Which eventually fractures life with Valentine.

This movie has some great insight into the mind of an aging actress. Young meets old, and instead of sharing ideas, or the young wanting advice, they tend to shun the old.  But they do still take value in the established guard by patronizing them. It’s a terrible way to feign respect, but it is to get what you want through a person with a bruised ego. Think Joe Gillis and Gloria Swanson in “Sunset Boulevard.” Juliette Binoche plays Maria with such gentle pain. You can sense it does cut deep into her own life. The roles start to dwindle. And the rebirths of the roles she is offered are really insignificant to her soul, but great for a paycheck. It’s not that she seeks amazing roles. It’s that she isn’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue. And is she is, it’s most likely a gimmick.

There is a moment in the movie, where I found myself ill from the devices I often use. The older actresses these days are, unfortunately, patronized. A lot of discussion in sub-level, to low-no budget filmmaking is to approach a former “named” talent. I wouldn’t doubt that some meetings begin with “I wonder what happened to Kim Basinger?” Or…fill in the blank. This is insidious, in that, you’re both insulting the person and giving them an opportunity. It worked in the case of Quentin Tarantino and John Travolta (which is pretty legendary). But it seems the younger filmmakers these days do what they can do to get a movie made.

This movie, though, leaves you with some questions. That are left ambiguous for…God knows why. The journey was great, the ending sucks bad. Maybe because I’m looking for more, maybe? It just angers me when there are no explanations for things that are massive plot points, or character arcs.

Overall, this is a good one to watch. The dialogue gets pretentious at a lot of points, but it’s worth the effort to see beyond what’s written. I love the fact that they don't shy around the heavy drinking and smoking of cigarettes. Hollywood infuriates me that they try to hide this. This movie celebrates that caution-to-the-wind attitude that is from a classic sense of movies.