It wasn’t too long ago that we as a nation found ourselves
deep in the so-called “McConaissance,” the name jokingly given to the career
resurgence of actor Matthew McConaughey as he drifted from being the doofy lead
in an endless series of romantic-comedies to becoming a bona fide serious actor;
a trajectory that you might recall culminated with him winning an Oscar. Barely
two years later, we find ourselves witnessing the similar reinvention of
Kristen Stewart. (Kristenaissance? Stewaissance? Krisurgence?) As an actress,
Stewart is best known for her somnambulant work in the “Twilight” franchise,
but has lately dedicated herself to taking challenging roles in smaller, more
interesting projects. Things really kicked into gear with a wonderful
performance opposite Julianne Moore in “Still Alice,” and the trend continues
with Olivier Assayas’ “Clouds of Sils Maria,” in which she holds the screen
against no less a powerhouse than Juliette Binoche. Her efforts seem to be
paying off: Stewart was recently awarded the French film industry’s highest
honor — the César — for her role here, marking the first time an American actress
has ever taken that prize.
In Assayas’s
melancholy metafiction, Stewart stars opposite Binoche, who portrays a celebrated
actress of stage and screen, Maria Enders. Stewart is Valentine, Maria’s
indispensable personal assistant whom the actress requires be by her side
seemingly every waking moment. As the film begins, Maria is on her way to
Zurich for a gala event honoring her mentor, playwright Wilhelm Melchior.
Melchior’s early play “Maloja Snake,” about the doomed love affair between a
middle-aged business woman and her manipulative 20-something assistant,
launched Maria’s career as a young ingénue 20 years earlier and she’s happy to
celebrate the work of a close friend. But en route, Maria receives word that
Wilhelm has died unexpectedly, and suddenly the tribute becomes a memorial.
Still in the
midst of grieving, Maria is approached by a hotshot theater director (Lars
Eidinger) with an offer to star in a revival of “Maloja Snake.” Instead of
playing the role she originated on the stage, Maria will now take on the role
of the older woman, opposite a rising starlet named Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloë Grace
Moretz), whose most notable roles to date have been a 3D science-fiction
blockbuster and the occasional meltdowns that land her on the covers of
tabloids the world over. With some reluctance, and some heavy coaxing from
Valentine, Maria agrees.
Wilhelm’s
widow allows Maria to stay in her secluded home in the Swiss mountains while
she prepares for the role. In the isolation of this setting, she and Valentine
run lines, with Val filling in the role of the younger woman. As they rehearse,
the characters on the page soon begin to reflect the women’s real-life
positions; the line between life and the play begins to blur and things take a
turn for the existential.
With Maria’s
age and insecurities clouding her perception, she sees her role through newly
critical and slightly bitter eyes, resenting her character’s dependence on the
younger woman. Maria’s difficulty in letting go of the past and moving on
to a new phase of both her career and her life. More parallels are drawn
between Maria and Jo-Ann and ultimately Maria’s relationship with her younger
self. For much of the time, it’s just Binoche and Stewart on screen, and the
knotty, feisty interplay between the two forms the heart of the film. Assayas
knowingly plays with our perception of both actresses. Binoche supplements her
usual elegance with a frayed edge of desperation. In many ways, Binoche seems
to be playing herself, or some version of herself, and so it follows that we
should scan for similarities between Stewart and her character. For once some
knowledge of an actress’ life off-screen actually adds to the film, bringing
out more layers to explore and adding an interesting tension into the
give-and-take between the performers.
In examining
celebrity culture, “Clouds of Sils Maria” taps into anxieties about aging that
seem particularly keen for actresses, who must deal with a society that closely
monitors them for signs of aging on screen (for a more comedic take on a
similar idea, see the recent “Inside Amy Schumer” sketch starring Julia
Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, and Patricia Arquette which made the internet rounds
this past week). Assayas isn’t saying anything particularly new about art or
performance or growing older, but he brings as elegance to the material that’s
matched by his capable actresses. In offering a loving tribute to actresses of
all stripes, it is little surprise that the director manages to bring out the
best in them.
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2015.
