Directed by:
Angelina JolieScreenplay:
Angelina JolieCinematography:
Christian BergerComposer:
Gabriel YaredVOD (1)
Plots(1)
By the Sea follows an American writer named Roland (Pitt) and his wife, Vanessa (Jolie Pitt), who arrive in a tranquil and picturesque seaside resort in 1970s France, their marriage in apparent crisis. As they spend time with fellow travelers, including young newlyweds Lea (Laurent) and François (Poupaud), and village locals Michel (Arestrup) and Patrice (Bohringer), the couple begins to come to terms with unresolved issues in their own lives. In its style, and its treatment of themes of the human experience, By the Sea is inspired by European cinema and theater of the '60s and '70s. "This is a story about a relationship derailed by loss, the tenacity of love, and the path to recovery and acceptance," said Jolie Pitt. "It has been a privilege to explore these universal human experiences with such a generous and talented cast and crew." (Universal Pictures AU)
(more)Reviews (3)
By the Sea became an artistic punctuation mark for the Pitt marriage, just as Eyes Wide Shut was for the Cruise marriage. Angelina found herself in the slow European films of the 70s and tried to make one of them. And that's it. The end.
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Angelina Jolie made a film where she could travel to France with Brad, nothing they probably wouldn't do normally. She threw in a dramatic story about how hard it is to be a wealthy woman and showed that it's possible to get out of it when you meet good neighbors. No, this definitely isn't the best film of the year, or the life for the two main actors, who don't disappoint in their performances, but the film doesn't bring anything new to the table.
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I liked the summer seaside setting in which this story of a burned-out marriage took place, but somehow I can't think of any other positives to this movie. It might also be worth mentioning the pretty snappy background music. The theme was obviously meant to evoke emotions, but I was just getting more and more bored, just counting down the minutes until the torment would be over. Not to mention the fact that the sight of a fading and occasionally overacting Angelina Jolie was not exactly pleasant. And, let’s face it, Brad Pitt didn’t put on much of a show either. (40%)
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