Redbrick Rewind: Clouds of Sils Maria

Since few people are able to go abroad on holidays this year, I have taken to watching films set in beautiful parts of the world and living vicariously through the characters as they go about their unrestricted fictional lives. If you want to gawp at stunning shots of the Swiss Alps, ranging through winter with a heavy blanket of perfect snow, to summer with brilliant green slopes, then Clouds of Sils Maria may be the film for you! Engaging with the characters though? Slightly more difficult.

The film stars Juliette Binoche playing a well-known mature actress (essentially herself) who is encouraged by her loyal assistant (Kristen Stewart), to accept the role in a revival of the play that previously launched her to stardom. The play in question is about a young woman who manipulates an older woman into having an affair with her, and then promptly abandons her. However, Binoche is not re-visiting the young and manipulative Sigrid she played at 18 – she is instead playing the middle-aged and misused Helena.

Now, we all know that La Binoche is an incredible actress; she is the winner of multiple awards, internationally renowned and fluent in several languages. Chloë Grace Moretz’s smaller role in the film comes as a surprise – despite being only 17 at the time of filming, she carries such an air of charisma and maturity, yet can completely switch the other way to unhinged, erratic and even dismissive or cruel. It is quite an impressive display to watch. However, as talented as these actresses are, we need to talk about Kristen Stewart.

For those of us who staunchly believe that Kristen Stewart is a poor actress thanks to her even poorer role in Twilight, I have news for you; she is absolutely brilliant in this film.

Well-rounded and an entirely believable character, Stewart won a César award

Honest, sarcastic, and entirely dedicated to Binoche, she is the attentive and personal PA I’m sure most Hollywood actors would want. The opening scene of the film is her making and receiving numerous phone calls on a train through the Alps, getting stressed as the service cuts out. All while Binoche sits comfortably in the train compartment writing a speech for an awards ceremony, unbothered that her ex-husband’s lawyer is trying to contact her. At times, Stewart’s frustration at Binoche boils through to the surface – at her sometimes childlike behaviour, her refusal to listen to her interpretations of the play, and her blatant fear at letting go of her youth. Well-rounded and an entirely believable character, Stewart won a César award (French Oscar equivalent) for Best Supporting Actress. May her acting redemption never be forgotten.

The whole film revolves around the relationship between the two characters of a play we never see, Sigrid and Helena. It is constantly reflected in the intimate yet uncertain relationship between Binoche and Stewart; when they are rehearsing lines together, it is hard to decipher what they are saying to each other is part of the script or if it is their own conversation. There is one scene where Binoche screams in anguish and dramatically sweeps everything off the table before storming out into the garden. Stewart’s reaction is to simply read the stage directions in the script. Where the fictional relationship begins and the real relationship ends is difficult to make out.

it can be quite exhausting to watch

Since the entire film is centred around the mirroring of the stage relationship, it can be quite exhausting to watch. Rather than simply sticking the film on to relax I felt as if my brain was pushed into analytical mode – constantly trying to analyse the symbolism of the stage relationship in comparison to the relationship between Binoche and Stewart. Is one of them really manipulating the other? Even though she is the younger character, is Stewart meant to represent the manipulated Helena? Are the clouds in the title of the film meant to represent the uncertainty the characters face? What’s more, throughout most of the film Binoche and Stewart only ever discuss the play and their interpretations of it, which can again be slightly wearisome and repetitive to watch. I don’t hold anything against films with layers of symbolism. To the right audience, they can be seen as an exquisite form of art but possibly not on a Friday night with a glass of wine.

Clouds of Sils Maria could possibly be the ultimate Marmite film; on the one hand, there are compelling performances and an interesting insight into a unique relationship where professional and personal boundaries seem to blur slightly. On the other hand, the heavy symbolism and requirement for interpretation is not subtle, and could leave an audience feeling alienated and bored. Despite this, there is a clear fact that remains: Kristen Stewart cannot be discredited as a bad actress ever again.

Verdict:

Somewhat heavy and confusing, Clouds of Sils Maria could allow temporary escape into the Swiss Alps, providing one is prepared for a substantial amount of navel-gazing. Possibly not ideal for a relaxing easy evening – your brain needs to be switched on and alert for this one.