My Night at Maud's

I believe something was perhaps lost in translation for me in My Night at Maud's, because I did not find it on par with other films I have seen in the New Wave. Perhaps the blame rests with auteur Eric Rohmer, one of the older members of the French New Wave. This dialogue driven piece did not appeal formally to me. Unlike other, more enjoyable films, I am not struck with a memorable scene, although some of the dialogue is tolerable.

The characters in the film, while quirky, did not strike any chords with me. The acting seemed standard, but what should have been complexities in the characters did not force me to evaluate anything. Dialogue to progress a plot is okay, but it is the dialogue and visual content that makes one think upon greater subjects that is truly interesting. I am willing to blame my lack of French linguistic skill for this fact, but that does not change that I rate this film considerably under pretty much anything by more prominent New Wave directors.

The religious reading of the film also seems to be very simplistic, irrelevant, and unenlightening. Again, more general religious concerns or conflicts seem to slip away from holding relation to this film. While it may entertain some, I do not think of this movie's thematic elements as moving, nor can I view the visual direction as interesting.