Abuse of Weakness (2013)
When the movie finished my initial thought was “Is that it?” I had expected it to turn or twist in some fashion, but it didn’t and afterwards I think that is entirely the point. It is a frustrating watch where the main characters does things that doesn’t make sense and seem out of character. But given this is a semi-autobiographical film by Catherine Breillat, it is entirely intentional and when I removed my inclination to get “normal” film narrative arc, it became apparent that what she has done here is actually quite brilliant. Even though I at times watching it thought it was badly written and directed, it is quite the opposite.
I am sure most people who like Isabelle Huppert like her for her roles as often very assertive and confident women. This film starts with her falling out of a bed suffering a stroke and is immediately rushed to the hospital. The rest of the film we see how she suffers and is weakened by the aftermath of the cerebral hemorrhage, and the film really holds nothing back here. Long shots without cuts of pain, desperation and a very uncomfortable display of weakness. Not quite unlike how a film like Amour didn’t kept the reality of illness under wraps. Yet, Huppert still maintains to show a character full of confidence and rigor, so when a conman starts to trick her into writing him large checks, I thought she was playing him somehow. Because that is what you expect a Huppert character to do. There is often something more going on inside her head. Some clever scheming or plan that the viewer doesn’t understand. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Breillat chose Huppert for this particular role.
So I was looking for some deeper motivation or logical sense to what she was doing, how she could keep giving him money. Wondered when the story of her intention of casting him in her next film was going to get picked up again. Where her family was in all this. Because how the story unfolds seems very unbelievable and you are looking for a rational explanation, but by the end it becomes clear there isn’t one. Her actions or choices didn’t make sense. It wasn’t her, yet she did it anyway. Because that is how people are tricked by social engineers and tricked into giving large sums of money without thinking they are doing anything odd. The director wanted us to feel that paradox and she succeeded.
When the film ended I had it as an odd 3 star movie, but just by gathering my thoughts about it for writing this, it is clearly a 5 star film. I want to watch more Catherine Breillat now.
Rating: 4.5