A Variety film critic has reviewed Michael Rozek's debut feature 'Marianne,' a one-woman conceptual project starring Isabelle Huppert. The review, part of the critic's farewell after two decades at the publication, describes the film as an earnest but flawed monologue on cinema's potential. Rozek's movie, made three years ago, explores themes of realism in film amid industry frustrations.
Michael Rozek's 'Marianne' is a 93-minute French production presented by Dark Dreams Entertainment and Hyde Park Entertainment, in co-production with Les Films du Camélia. The film features Isabelle Huppert in a solo performance, seated on a blue couch with a script in hand, delivering a monologue written by Rozek. Shot in long takes with a wobbling camera, Huppert half-reads and half-recites lines in English, her non-native language leading to unusual pauses and gestures.
The movie, budgeted at an estimated $350,000, questions the nature of film, emphasizing what is 'real' in a constructed medium. Huppert's character, Marianne, lectures the audience directly, screaming, “Wake up! Be real!” midway through. She critiques industry executives, stating, “They think that you need to escape, to forget … your pain,” arguing films should confront pain rather than numb it. Another line notes, “Some will say, ‘This is not a film. This is a play.’"
Rozek, making his first feature late in life, describes it as a 'revolutionary one-woman film.' The critic, who watched it after persistent outreach from Rozek on X, compares it unfavorably to Huppert's past roles in 'The Piano Teacher' and 'Elle,' and to stage work like 'Mary Said What She Said' directed by Robert Wilson. It also echoes Julian Rosefeldt’s 'Manifesto' with Cate Blanchett but lacks its effectiveness.
As Rozek's 'guilt list' entry in his final Variety review before departing after 20 years and over 2,000 critiques, 'Marianne' sparks thoughts on cinema's goals but annoys with pedantry. The film alludes to mortality and real life, quoting I Corinthians into a mirror, yet fails to deliver fresh insights. Production credits include camera by Céline Bozon and editing by Virginie Seguin, with executive producers like James Ireland and Alex Pettyfer.
