short takes (1)

Another of France's entries in the recent New York Film Festival has also gone into release: Loulou, by Maurice Pialat. Like much of Pialat's work, it's a fiction with a documentary feeling. This time the "realism" extends to sexual horseplay and four-letter language, spoken by characters who are rank vulgarians. It's harrowing experience, and many viewers will find it much too strong to be condoned. Still, it shows that Pialat's mastery of the filmmaking craft is growing by leaps and bounds, and that Gerard Depardieu has acting potential still untapped despite his superstar status. The gifted Isabelle Hupper is also in the cast.