reviewMovies have to earn their playing time. A three-hour length and a snail’s pace shouldn’t be an obstacle, as long as the story and characters continue to captivate, the atmosphere continues to enchant. The Story Of My Wife is an example of what not to do. Unfortunately, Dutch acting pride Gijs Naber is partly to blame.
Gudo Tienhooven
27 Jul. 2022
Poor Naber. Does the Dutchman, known for redbad and Penozastruggling to star in opposite Bond girl Léa Seydoux (No Time To Die) in an international production that had its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes festival, the reception is so lukewarm that no one is talking about the film anymore. The Story Of My Wife is now in any case, more than a year after that Cannes launch, still released in a handful of cinemas.
Is it really such a fiasco then? No and yes. In this European film by a Hungarian director in English (except for a few words of French and Dutch), Naber plays Captain Jakob Störr, who is master of his ship, but in the world of love has no idea how to turn the steering wheel. handle. It starts around 1920 with a bet with a friend in a cafe: Störr says he will marry the first lady who walks in. He still manages to do that. But Lizzy (Seydoux) unleashes an unhealthy jealousy in him and it is highly questionable whether that is justified.
lovemaking
Daring to let go of control, that is roughly the message of the film, divided into seven chapters, based on the novel of the same name by Milán Füst. A timeless theme, served in attractively shot images and with tasteful music. Three hours is only much too long if the plot drags on a bit and director Ildikó Enyedi finds it necessary to continue for minutes already unexciting scenes, including a deadly and quasi-artistic lovemaking filmed through a mirror.
And we can give our acting guns who are building a career across the border a boost, but Gijs Naber is simply not convincing enough to carry this complex role – he must be able to switch effortlessly between robust alpha man and naive scared bird. Admittedly, he has to make do with very wooden dialogues that can work on paper, but can’t possibly be brought to life by the actors. Not even by a class act like Léa Seydoux. And three hours is a very long time.
Directed by: Ildiko Enyedi. Starring: Gijs Naber, Léa Seydoux, Sergio Rubini and Louis Garrel
Watch all our videos about the latest movies and series here:
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss out on any of the stars.