The Staple of News

There's a lot to like in Katell Quillévéré's film 'Suzanne', the story of a woman who's life drifts out of control: its great sense of natural warmth and emotion, and the delicate, poignant soundtrack. Credit should go to the two young actresses at its heart. But the film lacks the intensity you might expect in a story of self-destructiveness: it's episodic nature spares us from the gloom of Suzanne's lowest moments in a way that doesn't feel wholly honest and undermines the context of the happier scenes. Another way of putting it is that the film lacks a fixed perspective: we see Suzanne's life neither quite as she sees it, nor as anyone else does. But Quillévéré is clearly a natural talent: she will make great films in future, even if this one isn't quite there.