Un beau soleil intérieur (2017)
Directed by Claire Denis

Film Review

With Un beau soleil intérieur (a.k.a. Let the Sunshine In), highly acclaimed French auteur Claire Denis takes a surprising detour into crowdpleasing rom-com territory, revealing a lighter side to a filmmaker whose intimate explorations of the human psyche have so far been of a much darker hue.  From Beau travail (1999) to White Material (2010), Denis has taken us to some dark and unfamiliar places, but with her latest film she examines her abiding theme of human desire from a somewhat sunnier and gentler perspective.

Some may judge Un beau soleil intérieur to be lightweight in comparison with Denis's meatier work, but it is just as sincere and profound in its forensic probing of those inner compulsions to which we are all prone.  The tone may be lighter, more playful than in the author's earlier explorations of the same themes of lust and fulfilment - Trouble Every Day (2001), Vendredi soir (2002) - but there is still an unmistakable sense of melancholy beneath the surface, a wistful sadness shot through with shards of bitter irony.  Far from being a conventional romantic comedy, this latest Denis pirouette towards mainstream accessibility is an intelligently crafted portrait of the modern woman, and who better to interpret that beguiling and elusive creature than Juliette Binoche?

One of the most sought-after French actresses of her generation, Binoche has always been deliciously emblematic of la femme moderne, from her star-making appearance in Leos Carax's Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1989) to her more recent work on Abbas Kiarostami's Copie conforme (2010).  No one is better placed to play the love-hungry heroine of Claire Denis's latest film, a conflicted  middle-aged woman who is on a seemingly impossible assignment, to secure for herself the perfect love without becoming imprisoned by it.

This is the kind of role in which Juliette Binoche excels, and with the support of a marvellously nuanced screenplay from Denis and co-writer Christine Angot, the actress turns in what is quite possibly her finest performance yet, one that effortlessly reveals to us all the unrest and anguish of a mature woman striving to reconcile her physical and emotional needs.  Like a butterfly zipping from flower to flower under nature's benign but ultimately selfish influence, Binoche's character Isabelle is driven by similar unfathomable impulses to bed a succession of men, most of whom are totally unsuitable for her.

Those who are not outright egoists, alpha males who are only interested in satisfying their own carnal needs (Xavier Beauvois, Philippe Katerine), turn out to be hopeless inadequates who are incapable of satisfying anyone (Nicolas Duvauchelle, Bruno Podalydès).  The emotional blows that Isabelle experiences at the hands of her ill-suited lovers is nothing compared with the pain she inflicts on herself.  It is as if she derives some kind of sordid masochistic pleasure from pricking herself on the sharp thorns of desire.

Binoche's knock-out performance is generously complemented by contributions from the male supporting cast.  Although most of their characters are thinly sketched and at times prone to caricature, together they come to form a complex and incredibly astute mural of male identity in the 21st century.  It is by immersing herself in this messy potpourri of masculinity that Isabelle achieves her twin objectives of sensual gratification and independence - her pursuit of happiness with an individual is surely doomed to fail.  It is only by being free and unattached that Isabelle can achieve parity with a sex that is instinctively programmed for domination.

Un beau soleil intérieur is not only Claire Denis's most accessible film to date, it is also one of her most incisive and revelatory dissections of the human soul.  With Juliette Binoche at her most radiant and beguiling, we cannot help becoming totally caught up in this astutely crafted fantastic voyage into the fathomless realm of identity and desire.

Film Synopsis

After breaking up with her husband, Isabelle, a Parisian artist, is torn between her new quest for love and her desire to live life to the fullest extent.  A stunning middle-aged woman who looks far younger than she is, Isabelle has no difficulty attracting men, who range from absorbed bankers like Vincent to more sympathetic souls like Marc, another artist.  Some of her liaisons are so fleeting that she scarcely has time to take note of the name of the man she is bedding.  Her most ardent admirer is gallery owner Fabrice, but his intensely possessive streak is something that the free-spirited Isabelle can do without.

Even though she accepts her marriage is over, Isabelle cannot resist getting back into bed with her ex-husband, although his idea of a rollicking good time is not one that she entirely concords with.  Now in her early fifties, Isabelle is well aware that her prospects of conjugal felicity are rapidly diminishing, and yet still she cannot make up her mind whether to settle into another monogamous relationship or go on grabbing as much fun as she can whilst her candle still burns.  Sooner or later she much make her choice and stick to it, or else content herself with a series of ever less frequent one-night stands...