Angelina Jolie-Pitt’s directorial follow-up to UNBREAKABLE couldn’t be more different. While the WWII adventure was square and old-fashioned, BY THE SEA is an arty riff on those European films of the 60’s and 70’s where not much transpires plot-wise, but plenty happens to characters emotionally. Some viewers may find BY THE SEA tedious and they’d have a good case, but I admired the decisions Jolie-Pitt has made with her new film and recommend it. While this take on a marriage at crossroads is a weirdly self-indulgent, excessive vanity project for sure, it’s a smart one with undeniable star power and rich, sensuous style. BY THE SEA may be pretentious and it may be boring – but it’s the good kind of pretentious and boring and I dug it.
Jolie-Pitt’s technical and visual command of her material is evident from the first frames, with a Citroen convertible snaking through the Southern French seaside accompanied by a swinging Jane Birkin tune. Married couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie-Pitt star as struggling married couple Roland and Vanessa, who it is immediately clear are growing apart. BY THE SEA takes place in the early-70s where he’s a hard-drinking novelist with writer’s block while she’s his unhappy wife, a former dancer. They’re on their way to a luxury hotel (filmed in Malta) where Roland can focus on his writing. Once there, after about 30 seconds of frustrated key-pounding, Roland heads straight to the bar where he spends most of his stay talking life with wise bartender/innkeep Michel (Niels Arestrup). Vanessa spends her time smoking cigarettes, reading magazines, popping pills, sunbathing, taking baths, walking the rocky shore, and frowning a lot (one thing she never does is remove her makeup). The plot, such as it is, kicks in when Vanessa discovers a hole left by a pipe in the wall of their suite that provides a perfect view of the bed next door. That room is occupied by Francois and Lea (Melvil Poupaud and Melanie Laurent), newlyweds so busy trying to get pregnant that they fail to notice the big hole in their wall through which Vanessa’s long-lashed eye is constantly peeking. Vanessa convinces Roland to share in the voyeurism, hoping it will revive a needed spark in their own marriage. Roland is hesitant, but once he tunes into Vanessa’s pleasure, he plays along and the pair is soon picnicking on the floor, taking turns gazing at the lovemaking between the younger couple. But when the four get together, things get out of hand resulting in anger, revelations, and loathing.
Director Jolie creates a vaguely unsettling mood by means of stylish composition, smooth tracking shots, and appropriately detached performances. Both Pitts are very good in BY THE SEA, especially Angelina who seems at ease with a sort of depressed emotional state. You get the feeling that she is always on the verge of dashing herself onto the rocks below.
BY THE SEA is slow-paced, and there are long stretches where little happens. But there is so much to like, especially in the details: the confident way Brad Pitt speaks French, his cool Clark Gable moustache, and his even cooler red pop-art Valentine typewriter. There are Melanie Laurent’s small breasts and Angelina’s bigger ones, some stunning scenery, a snappy score by Gabriel Yared, and direction by Ms Jolie-Pitt that shimmers with self-confidence. BY THE SEA is not a film where big, dramatic events occur, and there is no tidy conclusion to the story. It’s better at mood than substance but it’s a fascinating film that will be argued about and a real treat for adventurous moviegoers.
4 of 5 Stars
BY THE SEA opens in St. Louis November 20th at, among other places, Landmark’s The Tivoli Theater
