LOOK AT ME (Agnès Jaoui, 2004, France) Lolita is a young woman who suffers from low self-esteem, has a mother who is young enough to be her sister, and a father who is a famous writer and publisher. Lolita feels that she is not pretty enough or smart enough and that her "friends" are all after one thing: to meet her father. She wallows in self-pity and ends up pushing away those who really care about her; not because of her famous father but in spite of it. She makes an impression upon Sebastian, a stranger whom she helps with a simple act of kindness, and this young man begins to care deeply for her. Lolita senses this love but keeps him at a distance afraid that he wants only to take advantage of her in order to impress her father. Her mother tries to communicate and befriend Lolita but she responds with cruelty and venom. Meanwhile, we learn that her father is egocentric and selfish and has never been a very good parent. It seems that the only person that really despises Lolita is herself. An intelligent refined story that investigates the hollow and empty characteristics of celebrity, physical beauty, and family. (B)
It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.
Friday, November 27, 2009
LOOK AT ME (Agnès Jaoui, 2004, France) Lolita is a young woman who suffers from low self-esteem, has a mother who is young enough to be her sister, and a father who is a famous writer and publisher. Lolita feels that she is not pretty enough or smart enough and that her "friends" are all after one thing: to meet her father. She wallows in self-pity and ends up pushing away those who really care about her; not because of her famous father but in spite of it. She makes an impression upon Sebastian, a stranger whom she helps with a simple act of kindness, and this young man begins to care deeply for her. Lolita senses this love but keeps him at a distance afraid that he wants only to take advantage of her in order to impress her father. Her mother tries to communicate and befriend Lolita but she responds with cruelty and venom. Meanwhile, we learn that her father is egocentric and selfish and has never been a very good parent. It seems that the only person that really despises Lolita is herself. An intelligent refined story that investigates the hollow and empty characteristics of celebrity, physical beauty, and family. (B)
