After a second viewing, the qualities of this film became apparent. It was erroneously labelled a comedy, misleading some viewers towards escapist shallowness, but it's actually a tragedy, with satirical aspects aimed at the hypocrisy of present day media, politics and society in general.
The script is clever, the acting is excellent (especially by Léa Seydoux, of course), and even the long close-ups on her character, who is breaking the fourth wall by staring at the camera on those occasions, appear now as justified to highlight her introspection and loneliness. Therefore, such close-ups are not just for enjoying her beauty (which may be also a contrast with her inner drama). And the long takes are also like pauses to let the viewer digest what he has seen before.
France the character is facing perhaps the same problems as France the country (and the Western-type society in general). She is the center of the story and apparently her inner humaneness awakes after a minor accident she's caused, allowing her to really see the suffering in society and thus the lies she was being paid for.
One example among many others: her re-awakened soul makes her uncomfortable during the dinner with the rich globalists, who tried absurdly to justify their greed. In contrast, her one-sided, irresponsible and delusional personal assistant (Blanche Gardin) said in another scene a line betraying her utter lack of moral principles: 'The worst is the best'. Just like the witches in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth': 'Fair is foul, foul is fair'.
Seeing the manipulative essence of her job and the disaster of her family life, France de Meurs sinks in depression. She craves for real human contact, but in the fake society around her, even that is denied to her, and her short 'speech' towards the end of the film confirms her tragic resignation. Apparently, her evolution brought her back at the starting point, but now with a new understanding. And the final close-up on her face adds subtlety and complexity to this bitter and hard gained awareness.
The script is clever, the acting is excellent (especially by Léa Seydoux, of course), and even the long close-ups on her character, who is breaking the fourth wall by staring at the camera on those occasions, appear now as justified to highlight her introspection and loneliness. Therefore, such close-ups are not just for enjoying her beauty (which may be also a contrast with her inner drama). And the long takes are also like pauses to let the viewer digest what he has seen before.
France the character is facing perhaps the same problems as France the country (and the Western-type society in general). She is the center of the story and apparently her inner humaneness awakes after a minor accident she's caused, allowing her to really see the suffering in society and thus the lies she was being paid for.
One example among many others: her re-awakened soul makes her uncomfortable during the dinner with the rich globalists, who tried absurdly to justify their greed. In contrast, her one-sided, irresponsible and delusional personal assistant (Blanche Gardin) said in another scene a line betraying her utter lack of moral principles: 'The worst is the best'. Just like the witches in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth': 'Fair is foul, foul is fair'.
Seeing the manipulative essence of her job and the disaster of her family life, France de Meurs sinks in depression. She craves for real human contact, but in the fake society around her, even that is denied to her, and her short 'speech' towards the end of the film confirms her tragic resignation. Apparently, her evolution brought her back at the starting point, but now with a new understanding. And the final close-up on her face adds subtlety and complexity to this bitter and hard gained awareness.