The Look
his unique documentary about Charlotte Rampling features the stress sitting down to conduct interviews about her with a number of artists who have worked with her or know her. That footage is interspersed with clips from some of her best movies. Among the people she sits down with are Joe Fleury, Peter Lindbergh, and author Paul Auster.
Director: Angelina Maccarone
Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Peter Lindbergh,Barnaby Southcombe, Juergen Teller, Frederick Seidel
Says Rampling: "If you're going to do a story like this, it's not going to be all flowers and roses and smell nice."
Her chattiness here is unexpected and disarming, and if the film's overindulgent, it puts you in a forgiving mood. How often do we get to hear a lioness speak?
There are very few light, casual moments in The Look; even when Rampling pops into a deli to buy a sandwich, we hear her in voiceover talking about her demons. An hour and a half of this is frankly exhausting.
There's an all-embracing openness here that belies the often cold and calculating characters she plays onscreen. She's the perfect confluence of brains and beauty, and it's a pleasure to be in her company.
Women of a certain age will kvell, but the point might be better made for the rest of us by rewatching the autumnal Rampling in Ozon's "Under the Sand."
Best Documentary (Bester Dokumentarfilm)
German Film Awards (2012)
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