The Green Ray

The Green Ray (Le Rayon Vert) (1986)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Eric Rohmer

Starring: Marie Riviere, Beatrice Romand, Rosette, Carita, Vincent Gauthier

From: Les Films Du Losange

I didn't think this would be in my wheelhouse, but... I tuned into the Criterion Channel's 24/7 stream last night, waiting to see what they'd play after Eric Rohmer's La Collectionneuse. It proved to be this movie; as it is arguably the most famous work from Rohmer & I hadn't viewed any of his pictures before, why not give it a shot?

It at first did not seem like that a movie about a French lady (Delphine) who is listless after her summer vacation plans are scuttled due to her friend, then she can't find happiness wherever she goes would be my bag... turns out, I was wrong. Delphine (what an incredible performance from Marie Riviere, especially after you hear that most of the movie was improvised on the spot) also is off-again with her occasional beau Jean-Pierre so she isn't happy being the fifth wheel when she's invited by a pal to hang out w/ her family or wherever else she went. She seems like a nice lady and interacts w/ children fine, but is different in personality from a lot of people and especially struggles w/ finding romance. In other words, at times this hit rather close to home for me.

The Green Ray for certain affected me far more than expected w/ the protagonist feeling out of lockstep compared to everyone else or feeling like they don't fit in. This is why I was always on board for a picture where there is a scene at least five minutes long where Delphine reveals she's a vegetarian (not a vegan, as was made clear; some will still give that bonus points) and there's another long scene where random people discuss the Jules Verne novel The Green Ray, named after the phenomenon where right before the sun sets there are rare occasions where a brief green flash is seen. A metaphor for Delphine, that was patently obvious.

The movie is not entirely a stone-cold bummer so don't feel afraid to give it a shot. It was presented so well and felt incredibly real/naturalistic in its style and 16mm film stock. It's only logical that not everyone will connect with this story or the introverted lead character; I sure as heck did so I was happy to check out what proved to be quite the beautiful movie. Sometime in the future will be more Rohmer, in other words.