SAINT LAURENT (2014)

Genre: Drama/Biography
Director: Bertrand Bonello
Cast: Gaspard Ulliel, Jérémie Renier, Louis Garrel, Léa Seydoux
Runtime: 2 hrs 31 mins
Rating: R21 (Homosexual Content and Nudity)
Released By: Shaw 
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/saintlaurentfilm

Opening Day: 25 December 2014

Synopsis: As one of history's greatest fashion designers entered a decade of freedom, neither came out of it in one piece.

Movie Review:

Things to note when watching a French film not directed by Luc Besson: (a) Be prepared for random, jarring cuts between shots and scenes (b) Get used to the non-chronological storyline (c) Be aware that there will be nudity and most importantly, (d) Try not to eat nachos while watching said nude scenes because eating chips that crunch loudly can be extremely uncomfortable when you are in a room filled with strangers. 

Not to be confused with the other French film on Yves Saint Laurent similarly released in 2014, Saint Laurent revolves round the life of the famous French designer from 1967 to 1976 when he was at the zenith of his career. Jumping from year to year in non-chronological order, the film shows the darker side of Saint Laurent’s (Gaspard Ulliel) life as he struggles to build his fashion empire with lover and businessman Pierre Bergé (Jérémie Renier). And life, it seems, is indeed hard for dear Mr. Saint Laurent who has troubles coming up with designs all while snorting coke, having affairs with Karl Lagerfeld’s muse (Louis Garrel) and gradually descending into assuming the looks of Austin Powers. 

Like Mr. Saint Laurent’s painful struggle with designing his collections, the film may be excruciating for the average Singaporean unaccustomed to the French art film genre.  With a plot that is scattered and in bits, there is a lot of effort on the audience to form a coherent story from what is shown on screen. It is also obvious that the film is catered towards people who have some interest or knowledge in Yves Saint Laurent because it is hard to appreciate the film with all the name-dropping. Nude scenes (actually there were only two) can also be rather unexpected. In one particular scene, after being locked in by Bergé, Saint Laurent comes out bare in full naked glory when Bergé finally unlocks the closet. This may or may not be a literal portrayal of Saint Laurent coming out of the closet, but still, it was a nude scene that escalated rather too quickly. This reviewer finds the d**k flash a little too random, but hey, maybe that is how the French like it. 

Perhaps the highlight of the film would be Yves Saint Laurent’s design collections then, one would assume, since it is a film about the famous designer. While the film features Saint Laurent’s ready-to-wear collection and his famous tuxedo suit for women, all these are lost on lesser arty-farty movie-goers who have no idea about fashion. There is nothing especially attractive in the way the designs are presented and they looked rather like clothes that only gypsies would adore. 

There are, however, several interesting shots that may recoup your losses for the exorbitant cost of a movie ticket in Singapore. For all its arty-farty-oh-so-wah-piang-is-french-art-lor vibes, director Bertrand Bonello and cinematographer Josée Deshaies capture Saint Laurent’s psychosis and fragility well with their haunting shots. Coupled with Gaspard Ulliel’s convincing performance as the jittery and gentle Saint Laurent, the film portrays the French designer very well as a talented little boy absorbed in childish, hedonistic pursuits. 

But is that enough to convince the audience to watch the entire film? Judging from the people who left the theater one hour into the film, the answer is obvious.

Movie Rating:

(Not appealing to people who buy clothes from Cotton On, Giordano and H&M)

Review by Leng Mong