Lose yourself in the 'The Dreamers'

By Jeff Renfro

Bernardo Bertolucci's new film, "The Dreamers," is an ode to youth, sexuality, film, and Paris of the late 60s. The film expertly takes on youthful sexual discovery in a way that is nonexistent in current cinema. Even with the film's frank portrayal of sexuality, it maintains a certain level of innocence in its idealistic view of reality.

The film begins with Matthew, an American student visiting Paris for a year. He falls in love with the Cinematheque Francaise, a program run by the French government that is devoted to preserving and exhibiting older films. Matthew attends the films until the government suspends the program, which prompts a large demonstration. Bertolucci cuts in actual footage from the demonstration. There are shots of film legends Godard and Truffaut in the crowd, illustrating the importance of the Cinematheque to many of the directors who led the French New Wave of the 1960s. At the demonstration, Matthew meets fellow cineastes, and twins, Theo and Isabelle, who invite him back to their apartment to meet their parents. When the parents go out of town, Matthew is asked to move in.

At this point, the film begins to earn its NC-17 rating. The twins engage in a sadistic game in which the punishment for not knowing movie trivia is humiliation. Theo is forced to masturbate in front of the other two, and Isabelle loses her virginity to Matthew in front of Theo. The three are confined to their apartment as they scrap for food and continue to play mind games with each other. Eventually, Theo becomes jealous of the erotic relationship between Matthew and Isabelle and begins to resent them. The sexual episodes almost meet a tragic end, but the three are wrenched out of their apartment by a Paris on the brink of revolution.

Unfortunately, many theaters will not play films with an NC-17 rating, which will likely rob a lot of people of the opportunity to see an excellent piece of work. Bertolucci ("Last Tango in Paris") is truly a cinematic master. Along with cinematographer Fabio Cianchetti, Bertolucci allows the apartment to convey a sense of insulation from the world, along with a sense of claustrophobia. The trio is allowed to explore every aspect of their intellect and sexuality in a safe, secluded environment, which leads to their eventual separation from reality. They struggle to maintain their youthful sense of hope and idealism.

More than anything, the film is a proclamation of love to cinema. Bertolucci is professing gratitude to his medium by innovating and appreciating the past simultaneously.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film is Bertolucci's use of classic film clips. When Isabelle is telling Matthew her life story, she claims that her first words were "New York Herald Tribune" as Bertolucci cuts to a clip from Godard's "Breathless." Any film fan will be delighted by Theo and Matthew's heated discussion about Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

The film's NC-17 rating seems to expose an inconsistency in Hollywood (and possibly American culture) in that it is okay to show gruesome murders, but acts of sexuality and the human body are taboo. "The Dreamers" is far from smut, instead it presents a youthful world view that places sexuality in a context that makes perfect sense.

Grade: A-

û Contact Jeff Renfro at (408) 554-4546 or jrenfro@scu.edu