Both Sides of the Blade explained

Both Sides of the Blade
Native Name:
Translation:With Love and Fury
Director:Claire Denis
Producer:Olivier Delbosc
Screenplay:
Starring:
Cinematography:Eric Gautier
Music:Tindersticks
Runtime:116 minutes
Country:France
Language:French
Gross:$1.8 million[1]

Both Sides of the Blade (formerly known in English as Fire;)[2] is a 2022 French romantic drama film directed by Claire Denis, who wrote the screenplay with Christine Angot. The film is based on Angot's 2018 novel Un tournant de la vie. It stars Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon, and Grégoire Colin. It had its world premiere on 12 February 2022 at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear,[3] while Denis received the Silver Bear for Best Director.[4]

Plot

Sara and her husband Jean swim in the sea while on vacation, kissing and caressing one another. They return home to a wintry Paris, where Sara works as a radio presenter. Jean, a former professional rugby player with a prison record, is an absent father to his mixed-race teenage son Marcus, who lives in the custody of Jean's mother Nelly in the banlieue of Vitry. One day, Sara glimpses her estranged ex-boyfriend François on the street, flooding her with emotion. François, who was also once a close friend to Jean, is opening a sports agency to recruit young rugby players and contacts Jean to work with him as a talent scout. The re-entrance of François into their lives threatens the relationship Sara and Jean have had for ten years.

Cast

Production

In early January 2021, Wild Bunch International announced the release of several French films despite the strict restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those movies would be Fire, a dramatic movie directed by Denis.[5] [6] [7] That same month, it was announced that filming was about to wrap in Paris, and that Mati Diop, Bulle Ogier and Issa Perica were part of the cast, with Ad Vitam Distribution set to distribute in France.[8] Part of the film was shot at Maison de la Radio, the headquarters of Radio France. Production wrapped in early February 2021.[9]

The film was developed within the context and restrictions of the COVID-19 lockdowns in France, which Denis credits with bringing her and the cast closer together. However, they became "exhausted, relentless" with their work.[10] The pandemic also exists as a reality in the film. Shooting a scene in the Paris Métro, Denis found it "impossible to pretend the pandemic didn't exist." The characters also wear face masks in some sequences taking place outside their apartment.[11]

The film marks the acting debut of Hana Magimel, the daughter of Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel.[12] French footballer Lilian Thuram appears as himself.[13]

Release

The film was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival,[14] where the film had its world premiere on 12 February 2022.[15] Claire Denis won the Silver Bear for Best Director.[16] IFC Films acquired the US distribution rights to the film in early February 2022,[17] for a limited release on 8 July 2022.[18] [1] It was released in France by Ad Vitam Distribution on 31 August 2022.[19] It was released for streaming on AMC Plus on 4 November 2022,[20] and was released on VOD by IFC Video on 15 November 2022.[21]

Title

The title Both Sides of the Blade is derived from the song of the same name by Tindersticks, which was written by Stuart A. Staples for the film and is featured at its conclusion.[22] When she received the song during the film's editing, Denis was impressed by the "quality" of the title and deemed the French title Avec amour et acharnement too difficult to translate.[23] Denis described Both Sides of the Blade as the "real title" of the film because it "describes the movie" perfectly. The film was originally being marketed in English under the title Fire. Paste said there was "palpable contention" regarding the film's title. On 3 March 2022, during her introduction at the film's U.S. premiere at Lincoln Center's annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema series, Denis herself decried, "The film is not called Fire!"[24] Denis told an interviewer at the event, "I tried today to speak with the distribution company because I think 'Fire' is not completely fitting for the film. 'Both Sides of the Blade,' it’s sharp. There's passion, but it could be divided in a painful way. It's cutting!"[25] In April 2022, IFC Films officially changed its distribution title to Both Sides of the Blade.[26]

Reception

Box office

Both Sides of the Blade grossed $1 million in France, $201,047 in the United States and Canada, and $540,823 in other territories for a worldwide total of $1.8 million.[1]

In France, the film opened alongside Everything Everywhere All at Once, La Dégustation, La Page blanche and The Five Devils. The film sold 15,072 admissions on its first day,[27] 2,924 of which were preview screenings.[28] It went on to sell 60,282 admissions in its opening weekend, finishing 8th at the box office.[29] At the end of its theatrical run, the film sold a total of 157,270 admissions.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 121 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Elevated by impeccable work from Claire Denis and Juliette Binoche, Both Sides of the Blade is a relationship drama that cuts deep."[30] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 27 critics, the film received "generally favorable" reviews.[31]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars, writing, "It's intriguing if contrived and anticlimactic, though acted at the highest pitch of sensual conviction."[32] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film's "psychologically astute" screenplay, Gautier's "probing" cinematography and Denis' "laser-focused" direction for laying bare the characters' emotions "with fluid modulation of tone". Rooney also praised the film's "rigorous rejection of sentimentality" and its sex scenes for "involving middle-aged bodies captured with such unselfconscious naturalness and grace."[33] Guy Lodge of The Guardian praised the "unusually elegant geometry" of the film's love triangle as well as Denis' "rich, nuanced exploration of female desire from the fault lines of an ostensibly simple narrative", and complimented Binoche and Lindon on the emotional range of their performances.[34] Kevin Maher of The Times gave the film four stars out of five, writing, "Binoche, typically, is on commanding form, working once more with a film-maker who seems intuitively aware of how to harness her every glance or grimace."[35]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)Result
Berlin International Film Festival20 February 2022Golden BearClaire Denis[36]
Silver Bear for Best Director

Notes and References

  1. 13535920. Both Sides of the Blade (2022). 14 March 2023.
  2. Keslassy . Elsa . 18 January 2022 . Juliette Binoche on Acting and 'Feeling Worthless' After Being Asked Not to Take Producer Role . . 31 January 2022.
  3. Web site: Grater. Tom. 19 January 2022. Berlin Film Festival Line-Up: Hong Sang-soo, Claire Denis & Ulrich Seidl In Competition; Sidebars Feature Peter Strickland, Andrew Dominik & Dario Argento. live. 20 January 2022. Deadline. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20220119100925/https://deadline.com/2022/01/berlin-film-festival-competition-line-up-follow-live-1234915085/ . 19 January 2022 .
  4. News: 16 February 2022 . Catalan family drama 'Alcarràs' wins Berlin's Golden Bear . . 21 February 2022.
  5. News: Wild Bunch International unveils 2021 French slate (exclusive) . Melanie Goodfellow. . 8 January 2021. 12 January 2021.
  6. News: 'Fire': Clarie Denis' New Film Starring Juliette Binoche Shooting For Cannes Debut, 'Stars At Noon' May Shoot In April. . Charles Barfield . 8 January 2021. 12 January 2021.
  7. News: Juliette Binoche unveils a photo with her daughter Hannah Magimel… who is taking her first steps in cinema. www.inspiredtraveler.ca. 1 January 2021. 12 January 2021.
  8. Web site: Filming to wrap imminently on Claire Denis' Fire. Cineuropa. Fabien. Lemercier. 28 January 2021. 28 January 2021.
  9. Web site: Grater . Tom . 3 February 2021 . Claire Denis Wraps Juliette Binoche-Vincent Lindon Romance 'Fire' . 7 February 2022 . Deadline Hollywood.
  10. Web site: Grater . Tom . 12 February 2022 . Claire Denis Says 'Fire' Co-Stars Juliette Binoche & Vincent Lindon Were "Like Fighters" During Intimate Lockdown Shoot – Berlin . 24 February 2022 . Deadline Hollywood.
  11. News: Marc-André . Lussier . 13 February 2022 . 72e Berlinale Femmes à la conquête d'elles-mêmes . fr . . 24 February 2022.
  12. Web site: Lemercier . Fabien . 28 January 2021 . Filming to wrap imminently on Claire Denis' Both Sides of the Blade . 7 February 2022 . Cineuropa.
  13. Brody. Richard. Richard Brody. July 6, 2022. "Both Sides of the Blade," Reviewed: Claire Denis's Politics of Privacy. The New Yorker. October 13, 2022.
  14. Web site: Berlin Selection Unveiled: Claire Denis, Hong Sangsoo, Rithy Panh, Dario Argento Head to Festival . Naman. Ramachandran . 19 January 2022 . . 19 January 2022.
  15. Web site: Avec amour et acharnement Both Sides of the Blade . 19 January 2023 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20220203185845/https://www.berlinale.de/en/programme/programme/detail.html?film_id=202213003 . 3 February 2022 . www.berlinale.de.
  16. Web site: Grater . Tom . 16 February 2022 . Berlin Film Festival Awards: 'Alcarràs' Wins Golden Bear, Claire Denis Named Best Director . 19 February 2022 . Deadline Hollywood.
  17. Web site: IFC Films acquires Claire Denis Berlin Competition entry 'Fire'. Kay. Jeremy. Screen International. 3 February 2022. 4 February 2022.
  18. Wiseman . Andreas . 25 February 2022 . IFC Films Sets U.S. Release Date For Claire Denis' Berlin Winner 'Fire' Starring Juliette Binoche . . 27 February 2022.
  19. Web site: Avec amour et acharnement . 26 March 2022 . . fr.
  20. Web site: Parlevliet . Mirko . 2022-10-19 . AMC Plus October 2022 Programming Announced . 2022-11-15 . VitalThrills.com.
  21. Avec-amour-et-acharnement-(2022-France) . Avec amour et acharnement (2022) . 12 February 2023.
  22. Web site: 17 January 2022 . The new album 'Past imperfect : the best of Tindersticks '92 - '21', to be released on March 25th. . 12 February 2022 . City Slang.
  23. Berlinale Live: Press conference "Both Sides of the Blade" . 12 February 2022 . Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival . 50:35–51:14 . 12 February 2022.
  24. Web site: Keogan . Natalia . 7 July 2022 . Both Sides of the Blade Is a Fiercely French Feat . 30 December 2023 . Paste.
  25. Web site: Perez . Rodrigo . 17 April 2022 . 'Both Sides Of The Blade' Teaser Clip: Claire Denis' Romance Starring Juliette Binoche Arrives July 8 . 23 April 2022 . The Playlist.
  26. Web site: 4 April 2022 . Both Sides of the Blade. 4 April 2022 . IFC Films.
  27. Web site: Box-office 1er jour : La Dégustation et Everything Everywhere All at Once dans un mouchoir. Colon. Tanguy. 1 September 2022. Boxoffice Pro. fr. 2 April 2023.
  28. Web site: Avec amour et acharnement (2022). JP Box-Office. fr. 2 April 2023.
  29. Web site: Box-office week-end : Everything Everywhere All at Once domine. Colon. Tanguy. 5 September 2022. Boxoffice Pro. fr. 2 April 2023.
  30. Both Sides of the Blade. m. both_sides_of_the_blade. 18 May 2024.
  31. both-sides-of-the-blade. movie. Both Sides of the Blade Reviews. 18 May 2024.
  32. News: Bradshaw . Peter . Peter Bradshaw . 12 February 2022 . Fire (or Both Sides of the Blade) review – Claire Denis' many-faced love story . . 13 February 2022.
  33. Rooney . David . 12 February 2022 . Juliette Binoche in Claire Denis' 'Both Sides of the Blade' ('Avec amour et acharnement'): Film Review Berlin 2022 . . 24 February 2022.
  34. Lodge . Guy . 12 February 2022 . 'Fire' Review: Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon Excel in Claire Denis' Sexy, Emotionally Volatile Relationship Drama . . 13 February 2022.
  35. News: Maher . Kevin . 12 February 2022 . Fire review — Juliette Binoche is superb in an enthralling love triangle . . live . subscription . 16 February 2022 . https://archive.today/20220213140032/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fire-review-juliette-binoche-is-superb-in-an-enthralling-love-triangle-lpr6w5tzs . 13 February 2022.
  36. Web site: Berlinale 2022: The Films of the Competition . Berlinale . 19 January 2022. 19 January 2022.