35 shots of rhum

35 rhums

35 Shots of Rum

France 2008

directed by

Claire Denis

screenplay

Claire Denis in Jean-Pol Fargeau

cinematography

Agnès Godard

music

Tindersticks

sound

Christophe Winding

editing

Guy Lecorne

cast

Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Grégoire Colin, Nicole Dogué

producer

Bruno Pesery

production

Wild Bunch Distribution

99, rue de la Verrerie

75004 Paris

T 01 53 10 42 50

F 01 53 10 42 69

E distribution@wildbunch.eu

world sales

Wild Bunch Distribution

format

35 mm, barvni/colour 

running time

100' 

 

In 35 shots of Rum Claire Denis continues on the path of her recognizable aesthetics and carefully sketched psychological states of central protagonists, which are consistently allowed to unobtrusively, yet emotionally, occupy the viewers field of vision. In her previous film, The Intruder (based an essayist novel by philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy, written as a reflection of his heart transplant), Denis dealt with the feelings of intrusion, otherness, alienation and the perplexities of personal identity. This time, identity is only slightly stumbled upon as an off-topic, in a subtle fashion, while she attentively exposes the extraordinarily strong and vibrant relationship between a widowed father and his practically grown-up daughter. Their relationship supplies Denis with a excellent Archimedes lever, which she applies to other characters and their life-stories. Their common ground is love – in all its possible incarnations and forms.

It is precisely these constant 'passings', comings and goings that form a contextual framework within which Denis's last film functions; whether that be a painful experience of adulthood, the melancholy of retirement, unfulfilled longings, or death - all these phases are accompanied by a shot of rum and a gaze into the future.

The intimate story about the father and his daughter is told by Denis in a realistic, elliptic fashion, in the context of their flat in Paris, which mirrors the moods of their ever changing relationship. In this respect, 35 shots of Rum is an outstanding and respectful homage to the great Japanese cineaste Yasujiro Ozu.

Claire Denis

Born in 1948 in Paris. She is regarded as one of the most crucial and influential contemporary French cineastes. For a number of years she has been collaborating with authors like Jacques Rivette, Costa Gavras, Dušan Makavejev, Jim Jarmusch and Wim Wenders. She is also known to have been corresponded with Jean-Luc Nancy, a central thinker within French contemporary philosophy.

 

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»I've been dreaming for many years of making an homage to Ozu, and this particular film was possible for me to use as an homage to Ozu, because actually it's the story of my grandfather and my mother.« (Claire Denis)