Charles Perraux's 17th century folktale has terrified generations of children with the story of a psycho killer nobleman murdering his wives while teaching a lesson about the horrors that await those who are disobedient (specially girls) doing what has been forbidden. Apparently based on a real serial killer nobleman, the story certainly contains psycho-sexual elements that in proper hands could become a heady thrilling film.
Considering Catherine Breillat's previous films (Romance among others), one would expect a tour of the dark and tortured aspects of human sexuality involving power, violence, and other themes she has explored in the past. Instead we are presented with two movies both equally bland and meandering: in one, two little girls sneak into an attic that is off-limit to them and read to each other the book Bluebeard; in the second one, the story comes to life as imagined by the girls. The result is neither fish nor fowl: a movie that is too complicated for children but boring and pointless for adults.
The two girls interrupt their reading to talk about scattered subjects, get scared by the story, and argue as siblings do. The heroine as imagined by the girls is a colorless young woman who does not convey the fear or anxiety the girl in the original story has. The villain, fat and morose, is not threatening or mysterious enough to create an impending sense of doom. The movie, despite some rich scenes of a fairytale France, goes nowhere. It is a sad day when a self indulgent job such as this one passes for art.
Considering Catherine Breillat's previous films (Romance among others), one would expect a tour of the dark and tortured aspects of human sexuality involving power, violence, and other themes she has explored in the past. Instead we are presented with two movies both equally bland and meandering: in one, two little girls sneak into an attic that is off-limit to them and read to each other the book Bluebeard; in the second one, the story comes to life as imagined by the girls. The result is neither fish nor fowl: a movie that is too complicated for children but boring and pointless for adults.
The two girls interrupt their reading to talk about scattered subjects, get scared by the story, and argue as siblings do. The heroine as imagined by the girls is a colorless young woman who does not convey the fear or anxiety the girl in the original story has. The villain, fat and morose, is not threatening or mysterious enough to create an impending sense of doom. The movie, despite some rich scenes of a fairytale France, goes nowhere. It is a sad day when a self indulgent job such as this one passes for art.