Paris, je t'aime

Paris, je t'aime is an film collaboration between various directors and cast members from around the world. Basically its 18 shorts films that take place in Paris, France and go nowhere. The directors range from Gus van Sant to Wes Craven making for an unfocused and sloppy compilation. Stars such as Elijah Wood and Natalie Wood are used to lure in people who don’t usually watch those irritating subtitled foreign films. It’s been trendy now for a while for big stars to get token “artistic” roles.

France has produced a lot of films that talk about pointless bullshit (existentialism?). Paris, je t'aime is no different. Jean-Paul Sartre’s grave even appears in the film to give the film intellectual credibility. The only thing that was missing was testimonials from old French Bolshevik resistance fighters. Paris, je t'aime is about the new multicultural society and it reflects the crumbling on French culture. It is doubtful that France will ever produce another film talent such as Jean Cocteau.

I still can’t figure out why Paris, je t'aime was even made. The audience it aims for seems to be those so-called "progressive types" that consider European film ethnocentric. Paris, je t'aime has enough foreigners in it to pass the Globalization multicultural test that Neo-Marxist’s also claim their against (global revolutions makes a different when international trade is involved?). I think Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible makes for a better representation of modern day France. Too bad no one in Paris, je t'aime went into the “rectum.”

Paris, je t'aime can be summed up with "Robert Altman having celluloid diarrhea in Paris." Nothing weaves the scenes together. The segments go together about just as much those the various cultures featured in the film. Experimental films seem to generally fail in their directions. Paris, je t'aime isn’t that experimental and it no doubt fails.

I would love to see a resurrection of European national cinema. The majority of films that come out of Europe nowadays buy into the same bullshit propaganda as the trash that comes out of the United States. Paris, je t'aime is a dull film that offers nothing new to the viewer. It goes perfect with the German film Good Bye! Lenin directed by Wolfgang Becker.

-Ty E