Pauline at the Beach Analysis

Pauline at the Beach (1983)

Written and Directed by: Eric Rohmer
Won the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin Film Festival. 

This film is more about the setting and the milieu (at least for me) more than about the plot and character. It's primarily set at a beach in France where Marion and her teenage cousin Pauline come for a vacation, the film starts with them talking about their past experiences with men. They meet a few men there, and things get complicated when Marion's boyfriend cheats on her and puts in on Pauline's boyfriend. Marion's ex-boyfriend Pierre is also around and he seems to be out of terms with Marion moving on and finding someone else interesting. There is some complex things happening, but it isn't treated like that - it's treated like it's part of the futility of adolescence and dating. The camera hardly cuts to close ups of the characters making it about them, and their emotions - it is about the setting, the funny little world of mess ups. Solid colors are used to differentiate between characters, Henri wears a lot of red, Pierre puts on blue and Sylvian puts on white. The ending scene is staged very well, it initially starts off in a certain way and then it turns into Pierre on one side and the rest everyone standing on another side - it shows us the shifting dynamics. 

The editing doesn't call attention to itself, the camera movement too doesn't - it just follows the subjects and stays on something as the subject moves away if they want to cut. The pans, tilts are basic, slow and smooth. The laidback casual tone of the film is achieved through the setting. Beach. Cafes. Garden. The characters are always in a position to sit and chill for a while - there is no sense of urgency or a threat for survival - which is how the current tone is arrived at.