Claire Denis’ mysterious and thorny mystery of intimacies “Both Sides of the Blade” opens with a couple, played by legendary French actors Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon, swimming in crystal-clear aquamarine waters on a romantic vacation. They tenderly touch and kiss while Sara (Binoche) floats on the surface, buoyed by Jean (Lindon), who gently cradles her. It’s a perfect, if fleeting, moment of peace, but an apt metaphor for the film, in which what lies below the surface of this loving relationship remains a threat. Trouble the waters and one could drown in what is revealed.
Watery moments bookend the beginning and end of this film, though they are decidedly different; the stunning, sun-soaked beach vacation is juxtaposed with an emotional bath in a dim bathroom within a home that’s been irreparably cracked. Sara and Jean, though deeply devoted to each other, cannot manage to escape their past, both shared and individual, and “Both Sides of the Blade” examines this conflict as a romantic mystery that becomes a relationship horror movie.
Denis methodically peels the onion of Sara and Jean for the audience, pulling away layers and dropping crumbs of information while we observe their comfortable domestic daily rituals — making calls, making coffee, making love. Their shared history is Francois (Gregoire Colin, who co-starred in Denis’ landmark film “Beau Travail”). He is Jean’s best friend and Sara’s ex, and he comes back into their lives with the promise of opportunity. He wants to start a sports agency, a lucrative notion for Jean, an ex-con and single father struggling to connect with his teenage son Marcus (Issa Perica), who lives with Jean’s mother, Nelly (Bulle Ogier). But even the mere mention of Francois, and a random sighting, is enough to stir the whirlpool that sucks Sara and Jean’s relationship down into the depths. Sara is not over him, and Denis’ heady filmmaking makes palpable Sara’s anxiety about her ex.
It’s a lo-fi, naturalistic production (masks indicate the film’s contemporary setting during the pandemic), and Denis beautifully utilizes the domestic spaces like homes, cars and street corners, where complicated interactions and conversations occur. The grayish blue tones of Sara and Jean’s apartment are contrasted with the handheld camera, slow motion and vibrant reds and greens that mark Sara and Francois’ stolen moments. Eventually, the apartment becomes a dark, oppressive space.
Denis co-wrote the script with Christine Angot, an adaptation of her novel “Un tournant de la vie.” The film is a riveting sketch of a turbulent love triangle, held together by Binoche and Lindon’s incredible performances and sheer screen presence. Binoche tackles this performance of a complex, mercurial woman with a startling, but not surprising vigor, and Denis has handed her a meaty role in Sara, a woman wrapped up in love, lust and obsession; manipulative, angry, terrified, yet at times deeply relatable. Lindon, who comes across as impossibly steady and strong, allows Jean’s vulnerabilities to seep through the cracks, while Colin’s catlike presence lends to the elusive and unpredictable nature of Francois.
The film is at its best when focused on the love triangle and crumbling relationship at its center. The subplot involving Marcus’ troubles in school and Jean’s attempts to connect with his biracial son are half-baked. A story thread commenting on racial politics in France snakes throughout the film, as Sara interviews a Black author about white supremacy on her radio show, and Jean demands his Black son rise above social stereotypes. But it’s unclear what Denis is trying to say, and there’s little insight into Marcus himself — the character feels like a plot device to heighten the stakes for Jean.
As a showcase for two of France’s (and the world’s) best actors, in Binoche and Lindon, “Both Sides of the Blade” is a fascinating and sorrowful portrait of the corrosive nature of jealousy and infidelity on a relationship. With such nakedly open performances and sharp writing, this is a blade that cuts deeply, revealing all.
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‘BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE’
3 stars (out of 4)
(In French with English subtitles)
No MPAA rating
Running time: 1:56
How to watch: In theaters Friday
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