Nadine Nortier

(On Cable TV, February 2021) As much as there are directors out there with whom I seem to share a considerable amount of affection even for their most ordinary movies, the converse is true and I suspect that Robert Bresson is one of those. With Mouchette, I’m one-for-three for his movies, except that the lone film I like from him (Un Condamné à mort s’est échappé) I liked despite Bresson’s usual minimalist style and because it wasn’t as intensely depressing as his other two. Mouchette combines my profound opposition to Bresson’s style with a just as exceptional distaste for stories of continuous suffering. Here, Nadine Nortier plays the title role, a young girl whose entire lot in life seems to be suffering at the hands of others: overworked and underappreciated at home, bullied at school, dismissed by fellow villagers, raped by an alcoholic and orphaned, her life just keeps getting worse and worse every single minute of the film, and the ending is no exception. Bresson being Bresson, this horrid tale takes place in minimalist black-and-white cinematography, with emotionally muted performances by non-actors and low-end production values. Mouchette isn’t any fun to watch by any stretch of the imagination, and quickly grows exasperating if you care too much about it. Alas, it looks as if Bresson is well regarded and directed a number of titles on the various must-see lists I’m using as a guide to cinema I don’t like. I’m not looking forward to his next films.