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posted Friday, July 27 2012 - Volume 40 Issue 30

Movie Reviews

Arts & Entertainment
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Sumptuous Farewell, My Queen a royal treat
by Sara Michelle Fetters - SGN A&E Writer FAREWELL, MY QUEEN Opens July 27 Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux) reads for her Queen, the flighty French monarch Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger). She adores her job and would do anything for her royal employer, and although there is gossip that a political upheaval is brewing amongst the people of France, her desire to please has not lessened a bit. The Bastille has been overrun. A list has been put forth of all those whom the revolting masses feel should lose their heads to the guillotine. The first name is Antoinette's; the second, her good friend (and, many assume, lover), Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen). A request is made of Sidonie, one with potentially tragic consequences - putting her faith and trust to the ultimate test and revealing to the young lady-in-waiting a side of the Queen she'd refused to believe beforehand. Based on the book by Chantal Thomas, Farewell, My Queen showcases acclaimed director Benoît Jacquot (A Single Girl) at the height of his powers. The movie is propelled forward as if by some mysterious energizing force, electrifying every moment with a sinister menace that's always held just off-screen, as if on the periphery of the frame. It's seen through Sidonie's beautiful eyes, her soulful gaze moving slowly from wonderment to adoration to blind faith to sad, mournful understanding with shocking ease. There is a heart-stopping breathlessness to her journey - beyond intimate, beyond visceral - the all-consuming passions tearing a person, a country, apart on full display. I loved the first hour of this movie. I was struck by both Seydoux's and Kruger's performances, unable to take my eyes off either of them. Both actresses, the former in particular, inhabit their characters in a way that feels vibrant and alive. Seydoux travels down many interior boulevards and heads to silent plateaus where revelation or surprise isn't so much showcased in words but in her eyes and her motions, making her final onscreen moments a powerful, tearfully wrenching saga of triumph and tragedy that stopped my breath. The film does have issues. At just over 90 minutes, it feels far too short. The final sequences rush by, Antoinette's request to Sidonie having a fantastic impact that's sadly somewhat lessened as horse is hitched to buggy, and carriage begins to travel down an uncertain road. The final revelations, while powerful, don't resonate as fully as they might have if Gabrielle de Polignac had been built up as something other than an ethereal enigma - had it felt like Sidonie's decision was something more than a foregone conclusion. The last scenes just sort of happen - there's not any other way to describe them, and the fact that they have the impact that they do is entirely thanks to the breadth and scope of Seydoux's stunning performance. That these issues end up not mattering too much is both a testament to the two actors at the heart of the drama as well as to Jacquot's supremely confident skills behind the camera. Farewell, My Queen presents a side of the French Revolution I hadn't pondered before, a look behind the gates of Versailles I couldn't help but become enamored with. There is truth and honesty to be found in all the debauchery and excess - Sidonie's journey is one where the heart rules the action, yet where the head ultimately sees things as they truly are.

Show girl: Gina Gershon on her crotch close-up and how it's cool to play Gay now

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Suddenly, this summer is HOT

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Florence Welch bewitching in White River show

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A Dyke About Town: James Cotton outstanding at Jazz Alley

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Earth, Wind & Fire still have it all

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Taproot scores with silly-willy Chaps

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Intiman's Hedda Gabler lacks spark

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Budget-friendly tips for Vancouver Pride weekend

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APPROVE 74!

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ANA kicks off daily Seattle-Tokyo service

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Sumptuous Farewell, My Queen a royal treat

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Q-Scopes by Jack Fertig

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Shortbus to stardom: Jay Brannan is making his mark

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Northwest News

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Letters

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A new favorite Ring

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Music Lounge Extra: Cheyenne Jackson interview next week

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