It was an odd sight to see a quarter to a third of the audience walk out of the Ryerson Theatre throughout the opening night screening of Film Socialisme at the Toronto International Film Festival. Many spectators struggled to make sense of the film that was purposefully obfuscated. This version of the film did not include subtitles; the premiere at Cannes included Navajo subtitles. Whether it is difficult to understand because of the language barrier or difficult to understand because of the subject matter is irrelevant to Jean-Luc Godard.
The film must be difficult to understand because it seeks to portray a world that Godard believes is difficult to understand. If one does wish to grapple with this problem, why buy tickets to a film by a Nouvelle Vague director?
The film seeks to raise an issue in order to inspire further discussion however the subject matter is a little sparse. Godard could have achieved the same effect in a thirty-minute short film. The latter half of this work drags badly. Film Socialism is not always enjoyable – scenes include poor sound mixing so that ocean waves and weather drown out dialogue – but that is part of Godard’s design.
The first half of the film is inspired. Filmed aboard a cruise ship, Godard splices scenes of life aboard the ocean liner with ferocious storms at sea. When it is time to visit ports of call, Godard includes artwork of historical wars in the Mediterranean Sea. Hand-held cameras create a jumbled cacophony of light and sound.
A single ship is the scene for a thousand stories. There are routine snippets of daily life, moments of socialization, and flashes of crime and judgment. There is no overarching narrative because there is not one in the real world. Is any instant more significant than another? Does any of it have meaning or will it all result in the same outcome in the end?
The second stanza is very irreverent, showcasing a gas station where nobody seems to help customers and the children are the only ones who have any common sense. Lastly, Godard recaps the ancient cities that the cruise ship visited earlier. I did not enjoy these parts as much as the first one. **½