Richard Linklater
Che fine ha fatto Bernadette?

He's talented but doesn't apply himself. A brilliant student, but this time it's a half-hearted attempt at best. This is the feeling one gets watching Linklater's latest work; there's a sense of not pushing the boundaries, of not going above and beyond because this is a minor work, so let's not overburden it.

But when someone is talented, quality inevitably shines through. In the details, in the multifaceted nature of the narrative, in the nuances of the characters, and in the director's eye that knows how to delve into them. In the objects that become meaningful. Here we have the very talented Cate Blanchett who carries everything with the absurd moods of her protagonist. And there's also the daughter Bee, a young adult well portrayed by Emma Nelson. A daughter who educates her parents, not bad at all.

Many, many points of view: all interesting, all left halfway as if imposed: the content must not overflow beyond the form, the rhythm, the genre boundaries. The short-winded narrative takes precedence over a broad, contemplative vision. This is felt when there are striking setups to drive the point home, to say something significant about life, and instead of scoring, Linklater passes it back, because the planned game plot is different.

The protagonist's depression lives on engaging parallels between life and architecture, the book that serves as the subject has been acclaimed and offers plenty of fresh material. But, for example, we truly understand the reasons for Bernadette's neurosis only towards the end, and this diminishes them instead of enhancing them. Because the film flows slowly, it doesn't have significant narrative hooks to give it momentum. And so, lacking a true driving force, the search for meaning becomes pressing: why is the nasty Bernadette acting this way? What happened to her that's so serious?

The parallel with Blue Jasmine is easy and effective. There, the trauma is initial and fuels the whole story; here, the trauma is denied narrative space, explained only afterwards: it doesn't work.

Furthermore, the light tone clashes with most of the issues. Everything seems farcical, a frivolous whim. The film doesn't ooze the protagonist's drama, it narrates it from an almost ironic, inexplicable distance. The music is emblematic, light, from a comedy film. And that's what it is, a soon-forgotten comedy.