Les Poupées Russes (Russian Dolls)
— Though it could never live up to its predecessor, Russian Dolls is pretty pleasant in its own way.”
- Director: Cédric Klapisch
- France/UK, 2005
Russian Dolls begins a new episode in Xavier’s (Romain Duris) life as he turns thirty: it’s a sequel whose events unfold five years after those twelve eventful months in Barcelona as covered by L’Auberge Espanole (UK: Pot Luck).
After a period of more orthodox work, Director Klapisch wanted to return to the ad hoc filmmaking techniques of L’Auberge and it follows that Xavier’s life since Barcelona would be ideal material. In doing so, Klapisch also managed to gather together many of the same faces.
Russian Dolls is by no means as successful as its predecessor, probably because this time there’s more plot to cover between Paris, London and St Petersburg and no ensemble performance. The overall effect is rather fractured and most of the original cast is horribly underused, but the spirited optimism of L’Auberge does continue into Dolls, even if the latter no longer has the zeitgeist.
See also:
La Dolce Vita
This masterpiece of stylish satire, full of memorable images remains nevertheless aloof.
- Originally published: 12 Feb 2007 in Film
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)
The walls have ears: a painful look at the methods of the former East German regime shines a light on the darkness.
- Originally published: 11 Oct 2007 in Film
Pepi, Luci, Bom
Lightweight and fizzy but carries barely a hint of the greatness to come!
- Originally published: 21 Aug 2006 in Film
Together (Tillsammans)
One of Moodysson’s lighter efforts: a warmhearted film for a cold winter’s night.
- Originally published: 14 Feb 2007 in Film
Bus 174 (Ônibus 174)
A fascinating documentary tracing the circumstances that led one young streetkid to take hostages on a Rio bus.
- Originally published: 28 Mar 2007 in Film
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