Spidersecu
Don't Believe the Hype
Intcatinfo
A Masterpiece!
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
daugherty67
Saw this last night on Netflix. Great movie. Characters are fully developed and believable. Dialogue is powerful. Story is heartbreaking. If you are tired of the "Hollywood" produced crap that always ends in a happy ending and is mainly superficial, then this is a movie for you. Real life seldom ends happy, and sometimes you need to find your own happiness. Must see.
jankris
Amazing drama movie. Top-notch acting and songs makes it even more beautiful. Different religious beliefs of the parents perfectly shown on the movie. Beautiful cinematography. Despite its (comparatively)avarage parts, the last scene where you see Elise(alabama) made tattoo of her husband's name even though she wants to be death and part of her hates him, was one of the most touching ending that i have ever seen. For Drama lovers i totally recommend.
guy-bellinger
Flemish films are rarely seen outside Belgian Flanders, Brussels or the Netherlands. So when the opportunity arises to see one, what other choice is there but to jump at the chance? As you can imagine, I heeded the call and what happened...: I found myself torn by the pangs of split personality! In other words, "Alabama Monroe" made me at once discover a director I liked and be... repelled by the product of his efforts. Paradoxical indeed! Not that I totally rejected the film. Particularly not in its lively first part...but, let us get things in the right order. What struck me first is how gifted the filmmaker, Felix Van Groeningen ("La merditude des choses"), actually is. Among his qualities, let me mention his brilliant camera work (always close to the characters), the peerless actor's director he proves to be, the very effective use he makes of the bluegrass music (played live and subtly punctuating the action), as well as his impressive mastery of editing (with startling time warps in the past and even in a near future). No doubt about that : Van Groeningen is a master in every department of his art. He must also be credited for his ability to cast the right people in the right place, particularly the ones embodying the lead couple : you can be sure about one thing, no one else could have been a better Didier than the wonderfully cool Johan Heldenbergh, or a more irresistible Elise than Verle Baeten, in turns the most sensual of lovers and the most pathetic of grieving mothers. Both give their all to their role and as if that was not enough, they sing and play music beautifully.This said, how come my impression on "Abama Monroe" is negative? Well, to be fair, I did not dislike the WHOLE thing. I can even say I adored its first part. The potent mutual attraction of the two characters, their shared fiery passion, their common love of music and all things unconventional is really infectious and did carry me away. The trouble is that when misfortune rains down on them, it is not by halves! Granted, what happened to them is far from rosy, Maybelle, the fruit of their love being affected by cancer, but making the second half an uninterrupted spectacle of Elise and Johan's terrible suffering, bitter disagreement, heated arguments and final estrangement is a disputable choice. For now the film has become indulgent, dwelling exclusively on the centrifugal force that violently pulls the couple apart. And three words come to me: Enough is enough! As a matter of fact, Van Groeningen seems to have forgotten that to really move the viewer, there is nothing like modulating the tone. It is a known fact that remaining on a single note rather generates annoyance than emotional appeal, which someone like Valérie Donzelli has perfectly understood. Unlike "Alabama Monroe", her "La guerre est déclarée", the film she made on a similar subject (a loving couple put to the test by their child's cancer), managed to remain in constant balance. Cruelty, suffering, outcry there was naturally, but also a touch of surprise, of humour and even of incongruousness. French director-actress deftly avoided bathos by refusing to add misery to misery, pain to pain, yelling to yelling. In the second part of Alabama Monroe", it is just the contrary, so much so that, two-thirds through Van Groeningen (otherwise excellent) film, I couldn't stand it any more and begged for mercy!All in all, it is this final bad impression that actually accounts for the paradoxical statement I made at the beginning of this commentary. And I repeat it: "Alabama Monroe is a good film I dislike". Which will not prevent me from viewing other works by its talented director. In a more mellow tone, with a more balanced approach, I may even think another of his films is a masterpiece.
mistercsays1
It may have taken a while for The Broken Circle Breakdown to reach Australian cinema screens, but it was most certainly worth the wait. This Belgian film is a powerful warts-and-all treatise on the power of love, both as a force of great joy and as the catalyst for the events in our lives that cause us the most pain. Following a slew of award wins at festivals around the world, the film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2013 Academy Awards (where it somehow lost to The Great Beauty) and it is easy to see why this story has found so much favour with festival audiences and critics alike. This is the heartbreaking love story of Didier (Johan Heldenbergh), a banjo player in a bluegrass band, and Elise (Veerle Baetens), the sexy, vivacious tattoo artist for whom he falls head over heels.Our couple settle into a life of domestic bliss in a ramshackle caravan situated in rural environs somewhere near the Flemish city of Ghent; a picturesque setting in which chickens wander aimlessly around the yard. Soon enough, daughter Maybelle is born and the relationship between Didier and Elise only seems to strengthen as they embrace parenthood and set forth on repairing the dilapidated house that Didier has neglected for too long. However, happy families and home renovations do not an engaging drama make and when Maybelle is diagnosed with cancer, the relationship between Didier and Elise becomes strained. The tension in the story escalates but, despite claims to the contrary by some, it never drifts excessively into the melodrama realm because nothing seems exaggerated and the characters are far from stereotypical. Most movies that deal with cancer are sickly sweet and overly simplistic in their handling of such scenarios, but not on this occasion. Superb performances, particularly from Baetens and the young Nell Cattrysse as Maybelle, imbue the film with a sense of realism that makes you forget these are just characters; you feel as though you are watching real people. Director Felix van Groeningen has created an intimate world in which our connection with the family is palpable. Heldenbergh, who co-wrote the play from which the film is adapted, plays Didier as a stoic, quietly spoken musician whose personality is at odds with the much more outgoing Elise, her body adorned with tattoos that symbolise her life thus far. Despite their differences, the relationship works and Elise soon finds herself part of the band, bringing a new dimension to their concerts.The film opens at the hospital when Elise and Didier learn that Maybelle has cancer. Next, we are privy to the moment when Didier first takes Elise home to his country compound and, from this point, the story continues to skip around in time, jumping forward and backwards to slowly reveal the full sequence of events. The decision to present the narrative in a non-linear style is a challenge at times, with fantastic editing seamlessly melding one scene into the next, even though they may be set months, or years, apart. In the end though, it all comes together beautifully. Set in the early years of the 21st century, we see the twin towers attacked on television at one point and it is George W. Bush's decision to prohibit stem cell research - which we also see via a television broadcast - that sends Didier into fits of rage that serve as a renouncement of his love affair with America. The bluegrass music, presented via a series of terrific concert sequences, is fantastic. Although the songs – all of which are performed in English - may reflect upon the sorrows and hardships of life, they never feel depressing or downbeat in the hands of this motley group of musicians.It is rare to find a film that is dramatically, politically, emotionally and musically rich, but The Broken Circle Breakdown delivers on all fronts. Whereas Joel and Ethan Coen preferred to parody such musical styles and sensibilities with O Brother Where art Thou?, this film takes a much more reverent approach. This is a soul-stirring drama rich in heartache that never tries to accommodate genre tropes or audience expectations. This is a film about love but it is also a film about faith, with Didier particularly strident in his beliefs regarding god and religion. Whilst this is that very rarest of beasts in that it is a love story worth watching, it is much more than that. The Broken Circle Breakdown is just a fabulous film in every respect.
