I had no idea what this movie would be about. But it played at the Berlin International Film Festival this year and the title sounded intriguing. Plus it did fit into my schedule. It really goes all the way and is pretty harsh and raw. While you never really get into the head of our main actress, she seems to bear it all. So this isn't for the delicate viewers amongst us.
Unfortunately it is not as good as I'd wish it would be. It tries very hard to be something poetic, something that will make you think about things. Philosophical even, if you want to call it that. And while it has really good points, it never achieves its goal.
Brownian Movement
2010
Action / Drama / Romance
Brownian Movement
2010
Action / Drama / Romance
Keywords: woman director
Plot summary
Charlotte is a German doctor in Brussels. She is married to architect Max and mother of a young son. She rents an apartment to meet with little attractive men from her patients for sex. At the same time she leads an intimate marriage and family life. The sex life with her husband radiates security and trust. When she meets one of the chosen patients, he wants to get closer to her, she suffers a nervous breakdown. She strikes the man and finally collapses. Her affairs are now known. She loses her job as a doctor, and her marriage is about to end. Together with her husband she tries to save the marriage with a therapy. Two years later, the family moved to India, where Max works as an architect. Twins are born, and family happiness seems regained. But Max still can not dismiss his wife's doubts. The mistrust remains, and he follows her on her morning walks.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Sexy time
This film manages to make sex and nudity incredibly boring...now that IS an achievement!
"Brownian Movement" is clearly an art house sort of film with little in the way of appeal to the average viewer. This isn't a criticism...more a description for the sort of audience this film is trying to reach. And, like many art house and film festival movies, it will either be adored or hated by viewers.
The film has no context. Why people do what they do, you really don't know nor does the film try to convey this. Instead, the leading character just acts...and you have no idea why or what preceded it. You can assume she's unhappy in her marriage...but you aren't 100% sure and you have no idea what the husband is experiencing through much of the story. You learn about some....but it comes across very, very slowly.
Charlotte (Sandra Hüller) has many reasons to be happy. She has a child, a handsome husband, a prestigious job. But she also has gotten an apartment where she has sex with many different sorts of men. Now the men are mostly NOT attractive and the sex is very mechanical and often totally devoid of energy or connection...it just is. Because of this, there is a significant amount of nudity and adult content. But here's where it's unusual...it's not at all sexy or attractive or stimulating to watch. It manages to do something almost impossible....make sex dull and unappealing. There are also a couple times you swear that the woman is completely insane...such as when she later viciously attacks one of her sexual conquests for no discernable reason. She also appears much of the time to be clinically depressed. What happens next...well, you can see the film and find out for yourself.
To heighten this sense of dullness and detachment, the director chose to often use a stationary camera and sometimes placed it at floor level...like the super-famous Japanse director, Ozu. There also was little in the way of dialog nor energy of any sort. If this sounds like it might interest you, be my guest and by all means watch the movie. As for me....it left me wanting to watch a comedy or romance....SOMETHING to make me feel something! The basic story might have worked had there been energy and something to make the audience care.
The bottom line is that if you are looking for porn, look elsewhere....you could find so much better. And, if you are looking for a film that is satisfying to most viewers, look elsewhere....this one will likely leave you feeling confused and cold...very, very cold.
Art?
Charlotte rents a secret apartment. She lives with Max and their son Benjamin in Brussels. She's a researcher professor and she takes some of her male patients to the secret apartment to have sex. She encounters one of those men later and violently attacks him. She goes to therapy with Max and she loses her license to practice. Next, they're in India with the new addition of twins but it's not as good as it first appears to be.
There is little dialog especially with the large number of sex scenes. It's a quiet movie. My main problem with that is the lack of emotions for much of the movie. Sandra Hüller plays the cold lead character. She never really lets the audience into the character. Nanouk Leopold is the writer/director. In between the sex scenes, this is a character study movie but it doesn't necessary do a good job. There are little snippets of insight but a whole lot of nothing.