Hidden

If the day comes I become a film reviewer, I will have begin my review with: "Don't watch this if you're..."

For example, to review Hidden, a film I watched last night, I will say:

Don't watch this if you're tired, lack sleep, want a romantic night with your partner, hate lack of resolutions, hate slow films and just want pure entertainment without having to think much.

It's sometimes hard to determine what you want. It could be easier to determine what you don't want.

Hidden is an open work. It says something, not enough to be SOMETHING but strong enough to say some things. What some of these things are depend on you and me and all who watch - what things we bring to the film.

I brought nothing to the film except for my ticket and a spirit of openness built solely upon the reputation of the filmmaker and the strength of reviews I briefly perused.

openness is crucial in a film where meaning and motives are hidden. I have to remind myself not to try and understand what the film is saying. Rather, I think of what I'm adding to the film. But it's so tempting to want to resolve it, to tie up the loose ends and to make sense of it all.

I try to resist that.

Not having to make sense of everything makes sense to me.

But away from all these philosophical meandering. The performance of Juliette Binoche, in the scene when she screams at her husband for not telling everything he knows was breathtaking. It seemed like she was screaming at me - "This is trust?"

For that scene alone, I would watch this again.