I felt a tad guilty about enjoying the pandemic. Yes, it was obviously a tragic worldwide nightmare, the ramifications of which are still not truly known, and I was extremely privileged to not be that affected by it. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help how much I enjoyed the sudden closure of society. What can I say: I’m an only child and an antisocial one. I hunkered down with my partner at the time, my parents, and my dog, and it was really lovely. It was honestly idyllic, and that feeling is beautifully reflected indirector Olivier Assayas' new film,Suspended Time, which is playing at the30th Rendez-Vous with France from Film at Lincoln Center.
Olivier Assayas Has a ‘Day in the Country’
Suspended Time
It’s April of 2020, and film director Paul Berger has escaped to the provinces, living in lockdown with his brother Etienne (Micha Lescot), a middle-aged music journalist, and their respective romantic partners. The couples try to maintain their sanity in the midst of extended isolation in this tonally masterful dramedy from the great Olivier Assayas.
Suspended Timeis set in those confusing early days of COVID-19 and lockdowns, back in April 2020. Assayas narrates the film himself, gently introducing us to a beautiful, endlessly green spot in the village of Montabé in Boullay-lès-Troux. Paul Berger (Vincent Macaigne) and his brother, Etienne (Micha Lescot), have absconded to their childhood home there (which is actually Assayas' home), 30 km southwest of Paris and surrounded by trees, grass, and memories. They have each brought their significant others to the house, confining four different personalities in the old house.
Etienne is a fashionable silver fox, a music journalist and radio host who is dating Carole (Nora Hamzawi). He’s much more laid back about COVID than his nervous brother Paul, who is a nervous filmmaker dating an author named Morgane (Nine d’Urso). Etienne and Paul are both divorced and with seemingly younger women, one of many extremely French elements ofSuspended Time. They drink wine, they discuss literature, film, and music, they play tennis, they cook, they try to do some work from home.
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That’s about all there is toSuspended Time, at least concerning its surface narrative. It’s the kind of movie that doesn’t have a story we’ve invested in, so much as characters we just want to watch. They discuss Jean Renoir at one point, and the reference couldn’t be more appropriate.Suspended Timeis essentially a modernized, COVID-infused version of his filmA Day in the Country, and that’s a great compliment.
Honest, Realistic Characters
Olivier Assayas is, pardon the term, cinematically bipolar. It’s mind-blowing to consider that the same director behindSuspended Timealso madeDemonloverorBoarding Gate.His new movie is closer to his 2008 masterpieceSummer Hoursthan anything else he’s directed, but has even less drama and story than that film.Suspended Timefeels like an emotional vacation, with little to no conflict and practically no stakes. It’s a supremely pleasant film, an incongruence which sets it apart from other entriesin the COVID cinema subgenreand reminds me a bit of my own lockdown.
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Suspended in Timecould’ve descended into sitcom-style spats between different people under one roof, or a dramatic shouting contest amid the disintegration of a relationship, but Assayas is much more subtle and honest than that. Sure, there are some moments of bickering, but they’re small, funny, and well-performed. Paul gets upset when the bottom of his new saucepan is burned. Etienne is annoyed by Paul’s constant sanitizing process and germaphobia. Carol and Etienne think Paul and Morgane are too loud when they watch movies. Nothing lasts or escalates though, and all these moments find character-based humor in the way they play out. They feel completely authentic.
A Beautifully Simple Romance
The romance inSuspended Timeis also subtle, but even sweeter as a result. Vincent Macaigne is a perfect Assayas avatar as usual (following his great work inthe TV version ofIrma Vep). There’s a lot of joy and comfort in watching Paul and Morgane intellectually and athletically stimulate each other, discussing the letters of Héloïse and Peter Abelard and the work of David Hockney. It’s soulful and satisfying to watch them grow closer together through confinement, and like everything else in the film, it’s authentically normal. There aren’t incendiary moments of lust or massive exclamations of emotion; instead, we see the best of ourselves in the simplicity of their romance.
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Etienne and Carole get sidelined a bit (and the women in general aren’t as developed as the Berger brothers), but they still shine through as realistic, multidimensional people. Tiny details like Etienne’s newfound obsession with crêpes and Morgane collecting little flowers flesh them out. Plus, Etienne is just super French and cool in a half-ironic way; Micha Lescot is just highly watchable.
Alongside all this is the beautiful autobiographical voiceover from Assayas, which makesSuspended Timericher with history and personality. He narrates the scenery, injecting it with his memories, and the fact that he is sharing it with us here is a gift to all cinephiles. you’re able to seeSuspended Timeon Sunday, March 16 at 8:15pm at Lincoln Center.Get tickets here.
