Ghost in the Shell has been unleashed amidst all the (let’s face it, legitimate) claims of whitewashing. The film stars Scarlett “every other film I sign onto MUST have me kicking ass because it’s cooler than a gym membership” Johannson and a slew of impressive actors in supporting roles including Michael Pitt and Juliette Binoche.
It always saddening to me to have to watch someone of Binoche’s talent and stature succumb to the kind of studio paycheck that draws actors like moths to a flame. But in the real world, even Juliette Binoche has a mortgage to pay, hence her appearance in Ghost in the Shell. For the times she can relax and indulge as an artist, there’s films like Clouds of Sils Maria, perhaps one of greatest examples of what an undeniably powerful actress Binoche truly is.
Taking place mostly in the secluded titular mountainous region of Switzerland, writer/director Olivier Assayas’s Clouds of Sils Maria focuses on Maria Enders (Binoche), a successful but aging stage and screen actress. When Maria is propositioned by a director to take on the part of the older female protagonist in a re-working of the play which made her a star when she was just 18, she reluctantly accepts. The play tells the story of a seductive young woman entering into a love affair with a vulnerable older female executive. After finding out that popular, tabloid-friendly actress Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloe Grace Moretz) has been cast in the role Maria originated, she takes off to the secluded town of Sils Maria with her loyal personal assistant Valentine (Kristen Stewart) by her side to begin rehearsing. As time goes on, the line between art and reality begin to disappear as both the play and Maria’s dependency on Valentine begin to merge.
While many films have offered up comments on the inner workings of show business with various degrees of success, few have been as perceptive or as eloquent at doing so quite like Clouds of Sils Maria. The most obvious comment, the idea of an older actress realizing she’s past her prime, takes up much of the film’s focus, with Maria continuously being forced to accept the fact that she’s not as revered or acclaimed as she once was. Beyond just adoration, though, there’s the idea that she’s so out of touch with regard to the kind of acclaimed work and performances being given by more contemporary actresses such as Jo-Ann, which feel greatly at odds with her own instincts as an actress. It’s partly what makes rehearsing for the play so difficult; Maria is being forced to acknowledge that her role in the industry has shifted. This is a woman who is unable to let go of the past which helped to define her, and as a result is truly struggling to hold it together as she maddeningly tries to decipher who she is now.
There’s a great, extended scene where Valentine and Maria are discussing the nature of blockbuster films and how much they affect the truth within an actor’s performance. However, Clouds of Sils Maria’s look into the industry continues by showing the nature of the relationship between star and assistant. There’s no question that Valentine is what many would consider to be the best kind of personal assistant. She’s diligent, responsible, and capable. She knows Maria’s habits, moods, and way of thinking. She can read her boss to such an extent that nothing Maria throws at her can shock or surprise her. Clouds of Sils Maria shows how a job such as Valentine’s goes beyond just the day to day scheduling and dealing with the outside world, by illustrating how it also requires her to be everything for Maria, including a scene partner for rehearsals, a drinking buddy at dinner time, a shield from publicists and paparazzi, a confidant in times of stress, and a sturdy link to the outside world.
In fact, it’s the relationship between Maria and Valentine which takes the film beyond just a look at star/assistant relationships into a quiet comment on obsession. Anyone would be hard-pressed to find a cinematic example of life imitating art that’s as strong as Clouds of Sils Maria. In the case of Maria, it’s not just that the role she takes on means she must acknowledge the passage of time, but as she delves further into the text, she sees how it represents her relationship with Valentine. The two women are shown rehearsing the play throughout the house they are staying in for what turns out to be some incredibly tense and provocative scenes. When Valentine recites line such as, “You’ve become too dependent on me; it’s unhealthy,” it’s particularly hard to know when the play ends and reality resumes. It’s impossible not to be mesmerized by such blurred lines, which extend beyond the reciting of dialogue to scenes between the two women discussing the ideologies of the two characters, and by extension, their own motives, wants, and desires. These scenes, which make up the bulk of the film, turn Clouds of Sils Maria into a tale of a highly co-dependent relationship, a dance-like seduction and a tragic love story.
It’s a given that Binoche would excel here. The frustration and vulnerability she projects as a woman being faced with the reality of time in an industry where time is so closely watched is spellbinding. Her American co-stars enjoy the best roles of their careers, especially Stewart, who exudes intelligence, magnetism, and her own fears as she suddenly discovers what kind of world she is now living in. Finally, Moretz enjoys her best role to date, showing a maturity and taking her performance past the confines of her character’s stereotypes.
Clouds of Sils Maria received some of the best reviews of any indie feature released in 2015. Critics and arthouse audiences lapped up everything from the cinematography to Assayas’s screenplay and direction. Special praise was given to the trio of performers, in particular Stewart, who became one of the first Americans to win the Cesar award, France’s equivalent of the Oscar, among many other critics groups’ prizes. Unfortunately for her and the film, Clouds of Sils Maria’s late spring release all but ensured that the film would be quickly forgotten come Oscar time, which it was.
The way Clouds of Sils Maria plays with the notion of life imitating art is not only captivating but also incredibly extreme; so much so that the proceedings begin to feel a tad surreal, particularly in one of the film’s penultimate scenes. Gorgeous mountaintops and dreamy Swiss surroundings, coupled with an overall stunning look, only add to the more than highly suspenseful drama. If Clouds of Sils Maria feels like a story of emotional darkness, Valentine is very much the ghost of it, with virtually everyone she encounters looking past her. Most only see Maria, but Maria sees her. In fact, she may be the only thing she does see in the hauntingly dark fairy tale that has become her life.
