My
Golden Days (2015/Magnolia DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: C+ Extras: B Film: B+
Paul
Dedalus (Matheu Amalric, back as the same character from a previous
film), an old man looks back over his life as he was arrested in an
airport, recounts the three things that he considers the best/golden
time of his life. First was his childhood days with his brother and
sister, next was his high school trip to Russia, and finally was
Esther the girl who was the love of his life in Arnaud Desplechin's
My
Golden Days
(2015).
After
Paul's mother died when he was a child, he and his younger brother
and sister raised themselves, Paul was proud of this despite their
depressed father who hardly came home. During his high school trip
to Russia (then the USSR), he was proud that he was involved in
giving his identity away to another person to help them escape
communist Russia. And finally he recalls Esther the girl of his
dreams, while he studied art in Paris she stayed in their home town.
They sent love letters and poems to each other, but while he said
they had an open relationship (meaning he can have sex with other
girls, but he got jealous/angry when she did with other guys). They
continued their relationship for years but in the end...
This
was definitely a cultural film. Be warned, there as plenty of nudity
and sex in the film. French drama/love stories aren't like the
American love stories' 'happily ever after', instead they prefer the
bittersweet longing for lost love. The film pictures French women
are beautiful when they are free spirited and have open sexual
relationships, and French men are smooth talking romantic poets who
leave their women burning for more desires. Is this too
melodramatic? See for yourself. Quentin Dolmaire and Lou
Roy-Lecollinet also star.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image looks really good for the DVD
format (shot on a RED EPIC DRAGON HD camera and anamorphic HawkScope
lenses), so why no Blu-ray? The lossy French Dolby Digital 5..1 mix
is dialogue-based despite any music, but could work better if it were
lossless. Extras include conversations with the director, casting, 2
Pauls and 3 Esthers: Meeting the Actors and trailers.
-
Ricky Chiang
