Someone, Somewhere (2019) User Reviews

inspires optimism despite its melancholic nature

[mjfhhh · 7/10 · 17 February 2020]

Remi and Melanie may be perfect for each other. They live in the same building, separated from each other by the thinnest of walls. They shop at the same convenience store and take the same public transport, pass each other on the street, but in a city of millions will these two have a chance to meet?Focusing on how it is to be young and single in the modern Megapolis, and in particular Paris, the city of love, the movie takes on the daily lives' journey, that is as extraordinary as it is simple. The plot is easy to relate to, as so many of us follow the "work-eat-sleep" routine and rarely pay attention to the fact that something is not right with this arrangement, something is missing. Anxiety and depression in the film is seen as a part of the daily battles to be fought and are almost taken for granted. The leads by young stars François Civil and Ana Girardot are believable "girl and boy next door" trying to make their lives work and fight this desperate and lonely feeling underneath it all.

Director Cedric Klapisch specialises in romanticising Paris. Here it is practically a love letter to the city, and partly a guidebook to what it is to be a Parisian. SOMEONE SOMEWHERE may not be for everyone, it is certainly not a romantic comedy, and is slightly uneventful for a movie that runs almost 2 hrs. But the performances are great and the comprehensive script juggles many of the film's important issues with relative ease.

Focusing on what it is to be ready to accept true love than on the love affair itself, the film inspires optimism despite its melancholic nature.

Like 'Ships that pass in the night..." Brilliant!

[JohnRayPeterson · 8/10 · 8 December 2020]

This movie, despite it being categorized as 'Comedy, Drama, Romance' is, in my opinion, more of a romantic psychological drama. If you were looking for a superficial Hollywood RomCom, this is not what you'll see.You have two individuals, Rémy and Mélanie, with very different backgrounds and very different occupations which would lead us to believe they have little in common, but they have lives in common, that being lonely and in search of a soul mate, then work that cause them different levels of stress but stress nonetheless. Early on we see them walking close to each other, both headed for home, and their homes are adjacent apartments, but not in the same building, just separated by a party wall. The two never even noticed each other, and thus I found the scriptwriters engineered the greatest audience tease I could ever imagine; time after time we expect Rémy and Mélanie's paths to cross but repeatedly they don't. It's the big tease indeed, but smart.

They live in Paris and if you like Paris (I love Paris) as much director Cédric Klapisch does, you'll enjoy the venue, the sights and sounds. Life in Paris makes its residents, for some reason I never quite understood, melancholic, at least many, and certainly Rémy and Mélanie. Their lives and workplace causes them stress and they are told to seek help from some psychologists. Their respective psychologists provide what little comedy I found in the movie, because where the main characters were concerned, the therapists were useless. Both protagonists struggle to find balance in life and love where they can find it, though what they find is disappointment. We are kept hoping simply because we want to and because the near encounters of Rémy and Mélanie lead us to believe they are bound to connect.

Both lead characters find joy in much the same life experiences. Scenes with a cat Rémy reluctantly found himself owning, changes how we perceived him and how he perceived himself; they lead to yet another link to Mélanie, for he loses the cat and it ends up living with Mélanie. The two neighbours still haven't met, but we feel they are going to; they still don't. By this time we know how they live parallel lives, almost in a parallel worlds but we see them both for who they are and we are convinced they are meant for each other. If only they knew, if only they met. Our imagination works overtime creating the moment when they should.

The original French title of the movie depicts perfectly what we now know up to this point. Loosely translated 'Two of me' (French is my mother tongue so I assure you it's what it means) because they are more similar than different. I also like the English title because it conveys exactly what we hold hope for all along. I chose to title this review from a famous passage of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem because it's what the story conjured up in my mind up to the closing scenes. Those closing scenes are absolutely brilliant because after all the thinking and assessing we made watching the movie (thank you scriptwriters) we are left to draw for ourselves just how beautiful Rémy and Mélanie's life will be now that we are in charge of the fictitious ending in our minds. Of course they connected, not where and when we thought they would but we don't care, and that's life. François Civil and Ana Giradot did a splendid job portraying Rémy and Mélanie. I can't remember two people smiling so eloquently at each other; watch this movie, you'll see. My reaction was a sigh and a big smile of my own (I suppose that makes me a romantic?).

Slow paced, but beautiful

[athunderstorm · 8/10 · 14 June 2021]

This film is not for people who want action. It's slow paced and detailed. Some scenes are very beautiful and cinematic, something I personally really enjoyed.

In this film we get to see life as it is, it's far away from Hollywood. Poetic and little melancholic, but with a warm heart. Worth a watch.

Together alone

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 9 August 2021]

Or alone together? I mean are you completely alone if you live in the city? You are surrounded by so many people - and yet even if you are with someone you can feel lonely. This is about a man and a woman, who have issues of their own ... and live so close to each other, that you are just waiting for them to meet each other.

But the movie is not letting you off the hook that easy. It lets you dangle ... it teases you a lot. It gives you so many things ... and yet not what you expect. Even the "cat episode" does not play out the way you may think it will. So while this isn't your standard romantic movie, maybe that is exactly why you may like this more than those other ones. This feels way closer to real life in more than one sense ... will it matter if it has a happy end? You decide once you watched it and how you feel about the way this ... decides to end things.

Cute but forgettable

[syldt1 · 6/10 · 19 April 2021]

Deux Moi is a nice movie, relatable and pertinent to our times of too much information but little communication, but the story is flat, lukewarm and kind of boring. The characters are girl/boy next door (literally) and we get to know them mainly through their sessions with their shrinks. They are cute, but not interesting or engaging enough. Little happens that will surprise or enthrall the audience, while the movie navigates through its mundane events towards an easily predictable and mildly satisfying end. I watched it because I loved François Civil in Le Chant du Loup and because I love la langue de Molière, but I was somewhat dissapointed with this one.

Good photography, but boring

[hokuem · 5 April 2023]

Majority of the film are nice pictures, but silent, of someone walking or looking far away. In between, very few dialogues, with few words.

Don't watch this expecting a movie filled with life like L'auberge Espagnole. It's almost a documentary about the life of most people in urban areas nowadays. Alone, looking at their phones, and seeing a psychotherapist to try fixing their sleep issues. I could have looked at myself instead of watching this.

You might like it for the nice shots of Paris life, if you're a big fan of the city. But come to the movie with a lot of energy, because it will drain it.

If only Giradot is as good as the rest of the cast

[septimus_millenicom · 6/10 · 10 April 2024]

Cedric Klapisch's _Someone, Somewhere_ seems designed to milk the success of his _Back to Burgundy_. Francois Civil's tongue-tied awkwardness personified is resurrected as Parisian Remy. He has neither friends or family and work in a soulless product distribution center (like one of Amazon's). Literally across an empty shaft from him (in a architectural horror show of a building reminiscent of _Candyman_) is Melanie (Ana Giradot, also featured in _Burgundy_). She is marginally more functional, is a biochemical researcher, but suffers from extreme low self-esteem. Her father abandoned her and boyfriend jilted her. You might argue she is a depressive waiting for the next car-wreck to justify her existence. (I was one, once.)

Their lives intersect often -- on the overpass to the Stalingrad Metro Station, in the funky grocery store in "Little Turkey" (the 10th Arrondissement), ultimately in the dance class -- but never quite connect till near the end, shades of _Three Colors: Red_. The setting isn't picturesque as Geneva, but the benign sense of community reminds me of the ethnic enclave in _Queen of Montreuil_. The supporting actors are uniformly colorful and fascinating: Simon Abkarian as the gregarious grocery store owner, Eye Haidara as Remy's would-be flirty girlfriend (I was rooting for them to be together), Rebecca Marder as Melanie's sister, Francois Berleand and Camille Cottin as Remy's and Melanie's respective therapists. (Cottin must have been born full and entire as a mature beauty age 35, and has stayed that way since.) And Civil, reprising his hilarious shy shtick, is endlessly watchable.

The problem is Giradot, once again sporting her woe-is-me, navel-gazing persona. Her Melanie claims she visits cancer-ridden kids in the hospital every morning, and that gives her the motivation for her research (despite complaining she can't get out of bed). I wish Kapisch has shown that scene, because I have a hard time visualizing it. When Haidara and Marder appear (and they have few scenes), their vivaciousness immediately makes you wonder about the casting.

In the end the two therapists cure them of their guilt and lack of self-love. Remy reveals a traumatic childhood memory which seems a bit tacked on. Klapisch is nothing if not attuned to the mindset of today's youths; the plot points about trauma and mental health would resonate strongly with his target audience, although old people like me might think of pandering. What _Someone, Somewhere_ truly lacks is the great insight, great rupture of his previous film _Back to Burgundy_: the singularity that is Maria Valverde, regal, assured, commanding, providing a contrast and pointing a way forward for his other inarticulate and aimless youths. Inevitably, _Someone, Somewhere_ comes off as a step backward.

One story, two experiences

[ddony-08622 · 7/10 · 3 April 2024]

"Deux Moi" is another remarkable example of contemporary French cinema. This film presents a captivating dual story, featuring two individuals seeking solace in their tumultuous lives, but unable to meet despite their proximity as neighbors. Rémy Pelletier, brilliantly played by François Civil, isolates himself while Mélanie Brunet, played by Ana Girardot, desperately seeks happiness through fleeting encounters. The contrast between their approaches skilfully underlines the complexity of human relationships.

The pace of the film is perfectly suited to the subject matter, with a deliberately slow pace that allows for in-depth exploration of the characters and their emotions. However, although François Civil's interpretation is impeccable, I remain mixed about the acting of Ana Girardot, whose style fails to convince me. Despite this, Civil continues to shine with his nuanced interpretation of a man in the grip of depression, confirming his status as a talented actor in French cinema.

In conclusion, "Deux Moi" is a remarkable film that should not be missed. Its sensitive exploration of themes of isolation and the search for human connection makes it a captivating and deeply moving work. I highly recommend it to all fans of French cinema looking for an enriching cinematic experience.

So satisfying

[jlpk-17295 · 10/10 · 2 June 2021]

At the end when the dance instructor say "Remy, pair up with the new girl." Great movie!

Much about nothing

[robnicholson · 5/10 · 31 May 2020]

This movie is like a screensaver, nice to look at but doesn't really go anywhere.

not bad

[yamahapic · 5/10 · 9 June 2020]

Good atmosphere and good performance by artists..the two main characters are interesting..