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Review by: Jack Foley | Rating:
One
YES is a truly infuriating experience. On the one hand, it's
a passionate, thought-provoking exploration of multi-cultural
relationships in a post 9/11 world. On the other, it's a pretentious
arthouse movie that is prone to too much artistic excess.
Yes has plenty to say, but it may well leave you with a sense
of dismay.
It's script is relayed entirely in verse, which may eventually
leave you wanting to curse.
That it actually contains some wonderful performances and treats
its material with the respect it deserves only makes matters worse.
The film is directed by Sally Potter, of Orlando and Man Who
Cried fame, and is intended as an urgent response to the rapid
demonisation of the Arabic world in the West and to the parallel
wave of hatred against America.
Joan Allen stars as She, an Irish-American molecular biologist
trapped in a stale marriage to Sam Neill's English politician,
Anthony.
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At a posh reception one night, She
meets the enigmatic He (Simon Abkarian), an attendant of Middle
Eastern origin who immediately begins to flirt with her, and the
two begin an affair.
In the passion-filled weeks that ensue, He and She discuss, in
verse, issues such as religion, politics and sex - only to have
their relationship put to the test by other people's prejudices
and the unstable climate that exists around them.
In terms of performance alone, Potter's film hits all the right
notes with Allen especially strong in conveying the tortured emotions
of her strong but vulnerable character.
Abkarian is also very charismatic and suitably passionate about
his background, while Neil expertly conveys the frustrations of
someone trapped in a lifeless marriage.
Yet all their good work is undermined by Potter who continually
employs unnecessary techniques to lessen the impact of her film.
The verse becomes extremely annoying, threatening to divert attention
away from what is actually being said, while several bits of camera
trickery seem like a blatant attempt to show off by the director.
For a film that is supposed to be dealing with real and pertinent
issues, it has the effect of making them feel unreal and unstable.
The overall result, therefore, is a film that is damn-near impossible
to say Yes to.
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