The films starts by proclaiming that it’s a fictionalized take on real events, which turns out to be a complicated endeavor. Catherine Deneuve’s character owns a posh casino in Nice. Her daughter returns home and gets involved with her mother’s advisor in a scheme that destroys the business. The story is even more complicated, which dilutes the drama. Some of the locations are lovely and Deneuve’s 70’s dresses are ugly/fabulous, but the film’s more a recounting than an involving tale of relationships and betrayal. Director André Téchiné has drained most of the energy out of the potential passion and left us with an uninvolving and uninteresting narrative. In French with subtitles. (Criterion Cinema only)
(2.5 / 5)