Simon (Stanislas Merhar) lives in an apartment with his grandmother and his girlfriend Ariane (Sylvie Testud). He follows Ariane on a daily basis testing her to see where she is going, what she is doing and whether she is lying to him about what she does. Ariane submits to his controlling ways including letting him have sex with her while she is feigning sleep, the only way he seems capable of having intercourse. However Simon begins to grow jealous of Ariane’s friends and suspects that she is having an affair with another woman. Unable to let go of his jealousy he asks her to move out of his apartment.
Ariane agrees to leave Simon and he drives her to her aunt’s house where she plans to move. During the drive they discuss what they consider love to be. Simon confesses that he doesn’t believe love is possible without knowing everything about the other person while Ariane disagrees and admits she likes having thoughts and feelings that Simon is unable to access.
When they arrive at Ariane’s aunt’s home Simon finds himself unable to leave her there and begs her to come back. Ariane agrees. On the way home they stop at a seaside hotel but while Simon orders food for Ariane she disappears and he is left alone in the hotel. Believing that she has committed suicide by drowning he dives into the water to try to find her. Simon is rescued by a boat and brought back to shore without Ariane.
La Captive (The Captive) is a 2000 drama film directed by Chantal Akerman and featuring Stanislas Merhar, Sylvie Testud, Olivia Bonamy, Liliane Rovère, Françoise Bertin, Aurore Clément, Vanessa Larré, Samuel Tasinaje, Anna Mouglalis and Bérénice Bejo. This French language film is loosely based on Marcel Proust’s novel La Prisonnière.
Film Review for The Captive (La Captive)
Wealthy but disaffected would-be writer Simon (Stanislas Merhar) lives in an opulent flat with his grandmother (Françoise Bertin), their maid Françoise (Liliane Rovere), and Ariane (Sylvie Testud), the lover he obsesses over. Convinced that Ariane is having a lesbian liaison with the luminous Andrée (Olivia Bonamy), Simon takes to treating Ariane as a virtual prisoner, dogging her every move and restricting her social activities. On deciding to terminate the relationship Simon drives Ariane to a grand seaside hotel for a final, tragic night together.
Loosely based on Marcel Proust’s “La Prisonnière” (a volume of “A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu” – one of literature’s most demanding works) Chantal Akerman’s “La Captive” is a gently captivating, deceptively austere work that mediates on the destructive nature of love, possession, and desire. Taking only the bare bones of Proust’s tale (Akerman claims her film to be inspired rather than fully informed by it) has a liberating effect, allowing the director to also contemplate the complex nature of sexuality itself, a recurring motif of Akerman’s work.
Formally the film plays to Akerman’s strengths (simple, direct medium long-shots with fluid camera movement) using the empty, almost deserted landscapes (beautifully shot by Sabine Lancelin) to further heighten the sense of impending alienation. Impeccably scored (Rachmaninov and Schubert feature) and performed to near perfection, “La Captive” is a rich, rewarding work and further evidence of one of cinema’s most singular talents.
The Captive – La Captive (2000)
Directed by: Chantal Akerman
Starring: Stanislas Merhar, Sylvie Testud, Olivia Bonamy, Liliane Rovère, Françoise Bertin, Aurore Clément, Vanessa Larré, Samuel Tasinaje, Anna Mouglalis, Bérénice Bejo
Screenplay by: Chantal Akerman
Production Design by: Christian Marti
Cinematography by: Sabine Lancelin
Film Editing by: Claire Atherton
Costume Design by: Nathalie du Roscoat
Set Decoration by: Janou Shammas
Distributed by: Gemini Films (France)
Release Date: September 27, 2000 (France)
Visits: 128
