Diane Kruger, Matthias Schoenaerts, “Disorder,” opening today
My review of Disorder, starring Matthias Schoenaerts as Vincent, a PTSD-traumatized soldier home from Afghanistan, and Diane Kruger, wife of a shady businessman Vincent is hired to guard, goes up today on Rogerebert.com. It’s great. Loved/drank up every second. Alice Winocour is a bit of a phenom. Last year, she co-wrote the extraordinary Mustang (thoughts here), about 5 Turkish sisters, who are all imprisoned in their home – literally – the second they hit puberty. Now comes Disorder, a sexy genre film, a thriller. Go, Winocour. For all the complaining about women not directing blockbusters – I mean, I get it, if a woman WANTS to go that route, then I hope things change enough that she gets that opportunity – but in my opinion the value system that creates that kind of complaining is all fucked up. It’s such an absorption of capitalist obsession with monetary success. I want women to have the same opportunities as men. But to assume that directing a blockbuster, a comic book movie, a superhero movie, is the MEASURE of success is PART of the problem in the film industry today. It actually makes me sick. I don’t want women to be blocked because of their sex for any kind of project they want to do. But I would prefer women to make their OWN films, to join the ranks of auteurs who write/direct projects they feel passionately about. Who tell their stories from their own perspectives. I want more films like Meadowland (my Tribeca review here, and my interview with director AND cinematographer Reed Morano here). And Dog Fight (Matt Zoller Seitz and I discuss Dogfight here). And Outrage (thoughts here). And Fish Tank. And Selma. And By the Sea (I think I covered my feelings about that film here and here.) And Jeanne Dielman (although, let’s admit that that film – and Chantal Akerman – is one of a kind). We don’t need more comic book movies. We need more movies about the full spectrum of human experience. Lecture over.
So Winocour is actually doing it. From Mustangs to Disorder? She’s AMAZING.
As I said, my review will go up today. The film opens today in New York, with a wider nationwide release to follow. I saw it a couple of weeks ago and I am going to see it again tomorrow. The final moment. My God, the final moment!
In the meantime, here is an interview with Winocour over on Rogerebert.com, that gives a good glimpse of Winocour’s smarts and interests, her talent and sensitivity, what kinds of stories she is interested in. (Some mild spoiler-ish comments about certain scenes. So know that going in.)
Winocour says, of the film:
For this one, I was thinking about dark romanticism as well because it is a kind of dark love story. I can say that what is similar is that Vincent is a kind of male hysteric. What is really my fascination is what happens when there are no words to express your desire or your pain or your trauma and it is the body that is talking. You have this body that it screaming. I think I am fascinated by traumatized bodies.
A “male hysteric.” I like it.
Here’s the full interview:
