Guermantes

Every Christophe Honoré movie promises something singular, something intelligent, and something fantastic. Guermantes is no exception. This film arose from Covid's effects on Paris and his current production, an adaptation of Proust's Le Côté de Guermantes. The play was shut down because of Covid restrictions--Paris followed the rest of the world with its closures and curfews--after one or two performances (I believe).

Honoré and his cast were left with the choice of waiting until the climate changed and restrictions were removed so they might again perform or they could make art from the ruins. Honoré always moves between media--from novel to play to opera to film--so making a movie was easy. Guermantes tells this story by contrasting the theatre repertoire members' lives with the tales of Proust. Guermantes is a mirror into various tales during the modern-day plague eventually to post-confinement while Proust proudly smiles over everything.

There are no perfect endings, but happiness hangs above everything else here. Original and earmarked by Honoré's signature wit and talent.

The previous review mentions that the UK avoided Guermantes, but the truth is that the movie was never distributed outside of France. There was never a digital release, and Honoré kept it as a television movie, as respected as it is. I was fortunate enough to contact a streaming service who added it to their menu with English subtitles, and I was lucky to watch it several times. I am uncertain how other parts of the world can access Guermantes.