Red wine instead of coffee: With her surprise visit, Bertie prefers to drink alcohol. It’s only afternoon, but also southern France. To toast or to stun? She probably doesn’t know that herself while her ex-girlfriend Lane is sitting across from her in the garden. The crickets chirp, they do that throughout the film. It’s southern France.
That’s where Bertie and Fred moved after Lane left them. The fairy tale became a couple. Fred’s family has a holiday home there and the musician couple can prepare for their European tour there. Apart from that, southern France is one thing above all: scenery, mood, atmosphere, which makes up for the rather meager plot over a long period of time.
Visually convincing across the board
Poster for the film: “Ma Belle, My Beauty” will be shown in August 2022 in the queer film night
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With success: Whoever reads American reviews of “Ma Belle, My Beauty” almost always encounters the great longing for vacation, sea, light-heartedness, Europe, which the film satisfies. The concise soundtrack by Mahmoud Chouki, sometimes saxophone, violin or clarinet sounds, also leads consistently and coherently through the pretty pictures: vineyards, cycling in slow motion, a briskly cut visit to the market, where Bertie just about gets along with her French. The romance is visually convincing across the board.
That’s a good basis for a summer romance. And the content of the first feature film by Vietnamese-British director Marion Hill is also promising. The drama starts immediately, the exact relationships between the three only become clear slowly – or not at all – as do the lines of conflict. Hill builds tension, you want to decipher what’s going on.
So Bertie, Lane and Fred were together, but nothing was going on between Lane and Fred. But it’s him who brings Lane from New Orleans to France to cheer Bertie up and get him out of her creative low – only he doesn’t want her to know about this plan. Because he’s pretty selfish.
Intense strap-on scene
Bertie and Lane’s feelings flare up again (Image: Salzgeber)–
An exciting starting position that could offer new perspectives. Lane’s sudden visit upsets everything, turns the relationship upside down and seems to raise questions that were left unanswered when they split two years ago.
But nobody really wants to ask themselves these questions. All three avoid the smoldering conflicts. Fred (Lucien Guignard) has to plan his tour, but probably without his wife Bertie – a subplot that never really gets going. Lane (Hannah Pepper) prefers to have sex with an Israeli soldier, and Bertie (Idella Johnson) prefers to deal with it all himself.
Here and there “Ma Belle, My Beauty” surprises with quite funny moments, later also with an intense strap-on scene. The big picture just doesn’t want to come across.
Ma Belle, My Beauty. Drama. USA 2021. Director; Marion Hill. Cast: Idella Johnson. Hannah Pepper, Lucien Guignard, and Sivan Noam Shimon. Running time: 96 minutes. Language: English-French original version with German subtitles. Rental: salt giver. In August 2022 in the queer film night
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