I had the privilege yesterday of seeing what is a fairly well-known film among cinephiles, but not very well-seen. There is no Region 1 DVD release, and even old VHS copies are hard to find. Not totally surprising, as Rivette isn't one of the bigger stars of the French New Wave, and by comparison his work is probably a lot harder to digest than some of Truffaut or Godard's more mainstream efforts.
The first thought that came to mind when this film ended was "GIRL POWER", and by that I don't mean to say that this film is some kind of feminist manifesto. What it does represent, to me, is a film where the girls get to play in the boys sandbox, acting as magicians, detectives, time-travellers, thieves in the night. It's all done with a lot of enthusiasm, and never takes itself too seriously to refrain from making a joke at any time, however inappropriate. It's also a bit of a puzzle box and Escher painting and part of the fun is watching to see where it's going and what will be discovered as it constantly folds back upon itself.
Very hard to summarize, the film begins with a very roundabout meeting of the two title heroines, played by Juliet Berto (Céline) and Dominique Labourier (Julie). Céline is the wilder of the two, and appears to work (occasionally) as a magician in some seedy nightclub, whereas Julie works in a library, where she and her co-worker smoke while telling the visitors not to. Though this film is set in the present day, the professions of the two women give you an early clue that this film is headed down the rabbit hole at some point.
After a significant amount of time is spent introducing the two characters, and their quickly blossoming friendship, Céline shows up on Julie's doorstep with cuts and bruises. Unable to explain fully what has happened to her, she tells a bizarre story about an old house she was just working in as a maid, where a man lives with his daughter and two women in some kind of sexual power struggle. This causes Julie to investigate on her own. What happens subsequently is a combination of haunted house mystery, chamber drama parody, slapstick comedy, and Lynchian metafilm.
The most unique invention is that even though each of the girls' multiple visits to the house conclude with a push out the front door and short-term amnesia, the devouring of a small hard candy found in their mouths enables them to recall the events that occurred inside. We see the same scenes repeated, extended, and then ultimately dismantled when Céline and Julie return together to rescue the little girl trapped in the family drama, taking turns "playing" the maid and struggling to remember their "lines". They are playing with the conventions of cinema and drama, on camera, and the audience is invited to join in the fun.
One of the highlights is the presence of Berto, electric as any actress I've ever seen on film. She's a force of nature who is impossible to take your eyes off of, and it's not hard to imagine how Julie could be sucked into her new friend's world. Over the course of the film we see the librarian let go of her bookishness and nostalgia for the past (her old lover is met and humiliated by Céline in disguise as Julie in one of the film's funniest scenes) and embrace an anything-goes mentality, culminating in the scene where she must substitute for Céline in a magic show performance in front of some influential investors.
What does this all mean? Who knows, but it's totally liberating, and one of the most unique cinematic experiences I've ever had. I've just located a copy of the film and hopefully will be able to share it with others, like a secret little spell.
* believe it or not, an actual line from the film.
