Inspirations...

I saw Paris Je T'aime at the Glasgow Film Theatre as part of a packed house. It was a premiere I think, I can't remember if there was any particular occasion.

The film itself was hit and miss of course, as pretty much all portmanteau films are. My favourite was the last one, by Alexander Payne.



It's just so perfect for the form, for the five minutes. Any longer and it would've been tiring, and the mystery, sadness and beauty dashed.

But strangely enough, this wasn't the one that stayed with me the longest. That one was the segment directed by Tom Tykwer starring Natalie Portman and Gaspard Ulliel.



The reason I still remember it and am writing about it now is its technique in establishing a relationship. The video above has Spanish subtitles and is in French (I couldn't find it with English subtitles) but I think you can still understand what I mean. The way he remembers their relationship as a slow build up of experience ( "I went with you to the conservatoire, we kissed, we danced, we listened to music, I went with you to the conservatoire, we kissed, we listened to music, we danced...") is to me amazing. This aggregation of similar experiences, how you fall into routines, how you build a life together, it really effected me emotionally in a way other films can't. It's so hard to create a believable couple on screen, a real relationship between two people that the audience swears is real. Somehow this deft little device works when so many other things don't.

It's always in my mind when I'm writing my film.