Dir: Claire Denis
2013
*****
Claire Denis's Bastards seems like somewhat of an ode to classic French noir to me. At first it was like a Claude Chabrol thriller or the beginnings of a Eric Rohmer romance, I was instantly thrilled but the slow but unnerving Tindersticks soundtrack hinted that there was something a little more sinister to it than that. There is a lot going on here, a romance, a mystery, a history and a duty, all mixed together into a sensual but brutal exploration. The characters often come and go like wandering ghosts, the tension builds quite beautifully but the viewer is always grounded before it gets too much so. The meaning of the film is subversive but I think the clue is in the title, Bastards always win too which I think is the overall idea. Claire Denis is always dependable, her films are uniquely atmospheric, seductive and the best kind of indulgent.
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