Veteran French film maker Jacques Rivette was one of the original Cahiers du Cinema film critics who turned director in the 50s. And at 73, he shows he can still skilfully craft an intricate tale.
"Va Savoir" is a romantic comedy that follows the lives of six people in Paris. Each one of them is involved in two relationships, yet are still searching for that elusive love. At the core of this ensemble piece is Camille (Balibar), who returns to Paris to play the lead role in Pirandello's "As You Desire Me". In Paris, she decides to meet her ex-lover, Pierre (Bonnaff茅), thus setting off a series of coincidences that eventually throws all six characters together.
Rivette is noted for making lengthy films ("Out 1: Noli Me Tangere" (1970) is an astonishing 12 hours). Given his leisurely style of film-making, it's not surprisingly that Rivette's take on the romping romantic comedy finds him slowing the pace down considerably. He cleverly introduces each character, setting them - and the audience - up nicely for the entanglements to follow.
Rivette's examination of the nature of relationships is witty and light-hearted. The plot is made more complicated with the play-within-a-play device (a recurrent theme in his films). By suggesting that there is a fine line between life and art, he makes the happy ending slightly more palatable. This only works because Rivette's characters are able to accept each other fully, warts and all.
The ending may be contrived but, as the translated title says, "Who Knows?"
In French with English subtitles.