Zwei Freundinnen

My reviews of Claude Chabrol's works so far have been fairly balanced, in that I more or less knew in advance what I was getting into and how it would affect me. Usually, I have his films about 3 and a half stars, with me deciding between 3 and 4 stars depending on the mood, actors, and small nuances in the script. I'm almost certain that Chabrol will never reach 5 stars for me, and until now I assumed that he wouldn't cause any significant disappointment. However, Bad Girls is simply and plainly boring. The plot is thin, psychologically shallow, and somewhat tiresome. I understand that in the 1960s, mere signs of a lesbian relationship and bisexual orientation had to be provocative, but the time when something like that shocks is long gone. There was Stéphane Audran, who had excellent prerequisites for portraying all kinds of fashionable characters and was an excellent choice for bored middle-class housewives or bourgeois ladies. There was also Jean-Louis Trintignant, a charismatic actor of his generation. However, two interesting actors do not make a good film. Overall impression: 35%. (19.08.2014)

One day, the bored Frédérique spots a homeless girl from the streets of Paris, hoping to help her pass the time of her saturated life. She is motivated not only by the unique behavior of the unknown woman named Why but also, as the "Prologue" already reveals, by physical desire. The two proud individuals slowly grow closer until the architect Paul enters their tight relationship, forming a rather conventional love triangle in which the previously close women become hidden rivals. Why, just as proud as Frédérique, who always confidently resisted her situation even on the street, has no intention of giving up the newly acquired and still unknown happiness, even in the current danger of losing Frédérique's favor. (09.07.2012)

Bad Girls is an elegantly filmed, subtly erotic thriller whose suspense is derived not from actions, for which the ground is only prepared through much of the film, but from the unspoken thoughts and unexpressed emotions between the characters. They are given a voice by the camerawork and setting – carefully chosen colours and placement of characters, who either ignore each other or exchange glances filled various meanings, though rarely pure emotion. Of course, instead of circling each other for ninety minutes like two cats ready to pounce at any moment, the ladies could just talk through what’s bothering them in a single dialogue scene. But then we wouldn’t be able to savour the rising tension, the excellent study of the human need for control (over property as well as over people), or the director’s use of film as an intellectual weight room. Some of the shots confidently balance on the edge of visual navel-gazing, but the actresses are beautiful and the atmosphere of gradual decadent decay is captivating. Thanks to Bad Girls, it seems that I will finally start to discover the Chabrol rejected after The Cousins. 80% (09.07.2012)