CIFF 2010 - Certified Copy (2010, France/Italy/Iran)

My one issue with Abbas Kiarostami’s beautiful Certified Copy is that I became so engaged with the “are they/aren’t they” mystery that I didn’t get as emotionally invested in the characters as I feel I should have been. It’s such a delicate balance, because the two elements needed to constantly feed one another in order for Copy to work at all. And the more I think on it, the less I consider this issue an issue at all, as I suspect that the film will open up a great deal with multiple viewings.

I don’t want to give anything away by describing the plot of the film, so I’ll just say that the bulk of it is merely a back-and-forth between two characters, Juliette Binoche’s high-strung Elle and William Shimell’s laconic James Miller, who spend a day together in the villages of Tuscany, debating the nature of art, family and love, and slowly absorbing one another into the narratives they spin. It’s brilliantly acted – Binoche has rarely, if ever, been better, and Shimell generally holds up to her quite well, though he does tend towards the brittle in a few spots – and gorgeously, painstakingly shot (all those reflections!), a film that holds up nearly as well intellectually as it does emotionally, and vice versa.

In some ways, Copy is as much of a cipher as Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, which I saw the day prior at the Chicago International Film Festival (in the same theater, actually), and it’s no surprise that these were two of the most lauded films to come out of Cannes this year. Having seen both, however, I am (still?) somewhat surprised that Uncle Boonmee rather than Copy took home the top prize (Binoche won Best Actress), as the latter film seems more like typical Cannes material. And I expect Copy to end up on more of the big year-end lists than Uncle Boonmee, if only due to relative accessibility. Which is the better film? I find it nearly impossible to say at this point. Copy is striking and engrossing, whereas the Thai film is meditative, somewhat distant. I have the feeling that Uncle Boonmee will stick with me far longer, but Copy may end up having more personal resonance. One thing’s for sure – the one-two punch of these films has shaken me out of my movie doldrums, and highlighted just how poor this year’s domestic offerings have been.