The more movies you see, the fewer you’ll remember. Have you ever gotten the feeling you’re reading the synopsis of a movie and it takes a few moments before you realise you’ve already seen the film?
Tonight pan-European channel ARTE will broadcast Une Aventure, a 2005 movie by Xavier Giannoli. Giannoli and co-writer Jacques Fieschi took Sophia Burnett‘s idea and turned it into a feature film. The title is quite vague, but the German title (Ich Darf Nicht Schlafen) reveals more: Ludivine Sagnier is a young woman who’s both narcoleptic and afraid to fall asleep.
The movie begins with Julien (Nicolas Duvauchelle) arriving home from work. In the hall of his apartment he spots Gabrielle, in night garments and seemingly estranged. She says something, but he can’t understand her because of the glass between them. He meets her again the next day and falls madly in love with her, despite already having a girlfriend.
I can only imagine the creators of this movie did a lot of research about the mental problems of Gabrielle’s character, but they forgot to wrap that idea into a compelling story. Some critics have remarked the similar tone between Une Aventure and Blue Velvet, a movie you shouldn’t try and compare your movie with.
The movie couldn’t make me get involved, even though there are nice scenes and it’s always nice to see Ludivine Sagnier act. Especially if you know the movie was released in the same year as Sagnier became the mother of Bonnie. The father was one… Nicolas Duvaichelle.
There’s no real reason not to watch it if you get the chance to do so, but four years later you’ll only remember this movie when you’ve mentally combined “Ludivine Sagnier” with “narcoleptic”.
5/10
Avenue Kurtodrome 