Un Film Francais

J’adore les films français!

A French film festival, at Facets Theatre, began on December 7, and lasts until December 13. As a student of the French language, I looked forward to seeing one of the films when I found out about the festival.

So, on Tuesday, December 11, a friend and I went to see the thriller Anna M. The film was directed by Michel Spinoza, and stars actress Isabelle Carré.

The main character, Anna, has a suffers from erotomania, which leads to a psychotic obsession with her doctor. She believes he is in love with her, so she pursues the happily-married Dr. Andre Zanevsky by giving him unwelcome gifts, calling him late at night, and showing up at his home. She is introduced as a woman at the edge of madness when she attempts suicide, then focuses her complete attention on the doctor who treats her. Unfortunately for Dr. Zanevsky, when she makes pleasant conversation, she isn't just being friendly. She is fantasising about their future together. When he tries to distance their relationship, she becomes more zealous in trying to keep him (rather, get him) interested in her.

Everything Zanevsky does to ward her off is interpreted as an act of affection by Anna. As he becomes more annoyed with her actions, she goes to great lengths to break up his marriage. The police eventually become involved, which further complicates the plot. Overall, the film follows Anna’s psychotic obsession spiralling out of control.

On the whole, I enjoyed seeing the film. I enjoy hearing the French language, and experiencing French culture. However, the plot was a little disappointing, as many aspects of it were unbelievable. For example, the doctor hires a policeman to look into Anna’s condition, when he should have asked another doctor; the policeman has no experience with deranged people, so he would not be able to deal with Anna correctly. Furthermore, a lot of the emotion is lost. I felt strangely detached from the characters while watching the film; Anna was the patient, and Dr. Zanevsky was Anna’s obsession. Neither character really invoked any feeling for me. Maybe a medical student would find it more entertaining! Bien, c'est la vie, et c'est dommage!