Erotic Films: Betty Blue, dir. Jean-Jacques Beineix

The Wiz DOES NOT RECOMMEND Betty Blue Despite The Wiz not recommending Betty Blue, he also says that if you are a film fanatic like him, it's a movie that you should really take a shot in seeing. One minor reason is the visual aesthetic of the film. The film has a feel of romanticism by how it exaggerates not only how the characters act, but the colors that bathe the screen in eye-catching colors. It's a feel that felt reminiscent of Jacques Demy's Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The other reason, and it's a big reason, is that of Beatrice Dalle. To put it bluntly, Dalle is the best thing about this film, period. Her performance is expressive, magnetic and brave. It's a performance that, in any other movie, would be littered with problems, but the film seems to blend itself so well with Dalle and her performance that it's easily one of the best you may see from an actress. But Wiz can't recommend the film and it has to do with one central element: Zorg, played by Jean-Hugues Anglade. Zorg is essentially a character that is trying to keep his head above water dealing with Betty, but the film doesn't give much more about the character than that. This becomes a problem because, as Betty started to deteriorate mentally, you are supposed to basically feel for Zorg...but the most you know about him is that he loves Betty and loves to have sex with her. No other depth is really there. But the big issue that leads to a non-recommendation is the third act. On the one hand, the film picks up after spending two acts being a very deliberate slow burn. But it picks up because Dalle turns up her performance even more throughout the third act. On the other hand, there are decisions the movie makes with Zorg that are not only puzzling, but just utterly laughable. And when the film reaches its conclusion and it bathes it's screen in blue, the only thing Wiz could muster was "they ended the film like this?!" It's an absolute shame because Dalle's performance is astounding to watch and in most cases the film is a recommendation just for that. But the only way to watch the film is the 3 hour director's cut. And unless you are someone like Wiz who is a complete film nut, it's pretty hard to recommend someone spend three hours on a movie that will likely disappoint.