A depressive’s version of a black comedy, “Staying Vertical”
offers up a fascinatingly ambiguous story with enough shocking moments to make
Director Alain Guiraudie’s last film, the
sex-drenched thriller “Stranger by the Lake,” look tame by comparison.
It’s the
defiantly weird tale of Leo (Damien Bonnard), an aimless screenwriter scouting
locations in rural France and suffering from a debilitating case of writer’s
block. After failing in his attempts to pick up a pretty, young man (BasileMeilleurat) he spots along
the side of the road, Leo meets a shepherdess by the name of Marie (India
Hair). In short order, the apparently sexually fluid Leo has fathered a child
with the woman, only to find himself raising the infant on his own once she
abruptly splits the scene.
Meanwhile
Leo continues to dodge his producer, convincing him to keep wiring more money
and promising his script will be finished any day now (Leo still hasn’t written
a word). From there, the film spirals off in unexpected directions as Leo comes
into contact with a host of unusual characters, including the shepherdess’ father
(RaphaรซlThiรฉry), who
attempts to use Leo’s baby as wolf bait; a doctor who treats her patients by
sticking vines to their bodies; and a dying old man (Christian Bouillette) whom Leo consoles, then ends up having sex with
in his final moments. Yeah, this movie is a trip.
With its
oddball tone, explicit sex, and one graphic scene of real-life childbirth (shot
in unblinking close-up), “Staying Vertical” contains swirling ideas about
parenting, companionship, creativity, and the difficulty of making it through
life still standing on one’s own two feet. The result doesn’t always make
complete sense, but it makes for a captivating journey.
This article appears in Aug 16-22, 2017.
