Olivier Assayas’s Clouds of Sils Maria portrays one of the most addictive relationships I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a story of companionship and professionalism, but also with rich themes that comment on Hollywood’s obsessive culture. Without the spark between the two leads, Clouds of Sils Maria would still be a deeply impressive movie with plenty to say, but Assayas goes the extra mile and gives us two outstanding performances from Juliette Binoche and Kristin Stewart.
The first 20 minutes of Clouds aren’t too perfect. It’s a bit expository, we are kind of just thrust into the middle of an awkward situation without much background, and details are a bit muddy. Eventually we learn that Maria’s old director friend Wilhelm has passed away, whom she owes her career to after playing the lead role in a play titled Maloja Snake. At an awards ceremony, Maria is approached by a famous director who wants to revive the play but with Maria in the opposite role, and a younger actress (Chloe Grace Moretz) as the role Maria played previously. She accepts, and what begins is a complicated study of career success and aging in Hollywood.
Maria’s assistant, Valentine, played by Kristin Stewart, is her closest confidante. The two have a personal and professional relationship that just sparks when the two are on-screen together. Binoche lets this new role consume her, and the film goes to some dark places at times. The best scenes are when the two are rehearsing lines for the play, where you can’t tell where their acting begins and where it ends. The dialogue is a meta-commentary that makes some interesting parallels to their relationship at the same time. It’s some outstanding writing, made better by the excellent performances.
And damn, isn’t Stewart turning out to be quite the young actress? Valentine is hands down her best role to date. It’s a quiet, contemplative role; it’s subtle, but creeps up on you. Stewart makes it all look so easy, yet there are layers to Valentine that unravel as the film progresses. The rapport between Stewart and Binoche makes for a relationship that will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Their loud line readings are paralleled with quiet hikes through Sils Maria and a fun night out at the bar. The interplay here is just phenomenal. Assayas’s direction keeps a mysterious tone throughout the movie, and while the film never reaches the surreal, it definitely toes the line and plays with the audience a bit.
Clouds is a backstage drama with plenty to say about Hollywood and how actors like Maria are treated, but it’s never preachy like, say, Maps to the Stars. Maria is just a victim of the system, a well-respected actress past her prime, whose personal struggles allow her to reach new heights as she takes on a new role and says goodbye to her older self. Expert writing by Assayas makes you care about these characters more than you might think, and when the film ends, you know you’ve seen something special.
Re:Spawn 