For all of director Claire Denis‘ traditional fragmented narratives and elliptical editing techniques, her Cannes entry this year, “Bastards,” has unsettled audiences even further, causing a fest reaction that we wrote “not so much divided as cleaved” down the middle. Fashioning a tale of abuse, revenge, and guilt into a bizarre mixture of moods and influences, the film will finally make its way to U.S. theatres next month, and we’ve got a crop of five new clips to help us get a sense of Denis’ latest rhythms.
With a leading trio of Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni and Lola Creton (“Goodbye First Love,” “Something In The Air“), the film follows a man obsessed with vengeance for two acts: his brother-in-law’s forced suicide by a small group of people, and his niece’s sexual abuse by a gang of others. A French trailer hit at the beginning of the summer, but a new set of clips give a better sense of Denis’ choices in unfolding this narrative, and also the claustrophobic, bleak cinematography utilized as well.
At Cannes we called the film “a strange and certainly not wholly successful hybrid” and ultimately “a minor entry” in Denis’ filmography; however, the director still remains one of the most interesting and distinctive working today. So check out the clips below, followed by an updated trailer with English subs and the complete score by frequent Denis collaborators Tindersticks (via The Film Stage).
“Bastards” screens at the New York Film Festival and will hit theatres via Sundance Selects on October 25th. The soundtrack will arrives in stores on October 15th.