Film Reviews

Film Socialisme

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Patti Smith
• Details: France / 101mins (TBC).

Innovators are rarely recognised in their time, and regardless what you may think of Godard's work, he is at least a pioneer. Maybe in fifty years we'll be able to look back and pinpoint the 80-year-old's latest offering as a significant moment in film, the movie that changed everything. If Socialism is the future of film, however, I'm going to find something else to do. This, in short, is nonsense.
You know you're in trouble when the press notes call the film 'infuriating' - the most honest press notes I've ever read. A theme-driven film, there is no story to be had here, as Socialism is a series of shots, mostly set in and around a ferry. Elderly folk dance, some eat, children swim in the pool, a girl lies on a bed and says 'meow' a few times, a woman has an in-depth conversation with her old partner, a llama turns up at a petrol station. There is archive footage of the national socialism of Nazi Germany. The theme, though, is lost in Socialism's pretentiousness. Godard makes no effort to meet his audience halfway; like a jigsaw puzzle, the viewer is expected to do the hard work to make sense of it all. Best of luck with that.
It would be one thing if we could understand what the characters are saying but Godard uses the subtitles, which the director calls Navaho English, sparingly and when he does they are only snatches of what he thinks is essential: goat water cloud holy button squirrel hood godard socialism crap. Sometimesthesubtitlesruntogether, sometimes they are spread out but they are always one thing: impenetrable. The thing is, and this is what infuriates me about arthouse film sometimes, it's meant to be impenetrable. Why would you spend the guts of two years dreaming up an idea, getting a film together, shooting and then editing it if only five of your mates are going to get it?
If Socialism was at least pretty to look at that would be something, but it's an ugly picture. Just when it can't get worse, Godard uses a low quality mobile phone video to shoot some 'scenes' and the effect is bleeeugh. Sometimes the sound is unlistenable, sometimes snatches of conversation can be heard off screen and overrun the conversation on screen. At one point the film stalled and looked like there was a problem in the projection room. It's still unclear if this was deliberate on Godard's part. Yeah, it's that kind of film.

Review by Gavin Burke