Review: 35 SHOTS OF RUM

When all we have is each other, what are we suppose to do when they leave?

Directed and co-written by French filmmaker Claire Denis, 35 SHOTS OF RUM is a study on human separation. Denis (CHOCOLAT) delicately introduces the audience to a father and daughter. We first meet them physically separated by distance, each of them making their journey home for the day to settle together in their small apartment.

Lionel (Alex Descas) makes his living conducting a subway train through the city. Lionel is a quiet, reserved man, always with something on his mind. Lionel’s depth of thought, his emotional anguish about the life his daughter leads and the guilt he feels for her confining herself to his life, is apparent in the heavily non-verbal performance on Descas.

Lionel’s daughter Joséphine (Mati Diop) is a thin and beautiful young woman, pursues university study and works at a small local Virgin record store. She insists on taking care of her father, who is perfectly capable of caring for his self. Lionel feels as though he is holding her back and attempts, reluctantly, to nudge her out of the nest and live her own life, for her sake.

Diop’s performance captures the internal torment Joséphine lives with, torn between keeping her only surviving parent company and venturing out with Noé (Grégoire Colin), an attractive young man interested in developing a relationship. Joséphine keeps Noé at arm’s length, fearing what will happen if she allows herself to explore beyond her father’s reach.

Gabrielle (Nicole Dogué) is a neighbor to Lionel and Joséphine. She holds a deep desire to be with Lionel and his daughter as a family and Joséphine has a strong maternal bond with Gabrielle. Lionel maintains his distance from Gabrielle, perhaps in respect for his deceased wife, or perhaps the result of lacking a mutual interest in her, adding tension to his relationship with Joséphine.

35 SHOTS OF RUM, originally titles 35 rhums, is a gentle and poignant look into the human need for companionship and what happens when that need is threatened by separation. In keeping with the theme of the story, the film incorporates a lovely abundance of space, both visually and audibly generating a sensory landscape of souls drifting apart.

Claire Denis has a way with conveying textural dialogue of emotion with a minimal use of dialogue. She dwells on characters in silence as their minds do the talking through their body language and facial expressions. Denis is the type of filmmaker who isn’t afraid to linger on a scene, allowing the audience to connect with the character and feel the lingering fear of abandonment.

With Lionel conducting subway trains, Gabrielle driving a taxi and Noé frequently traveling for work, transportation plays a wonderful metaphorical role in the story. The characters are perpetually moving away and returning to each other. Music is a dominant presence in the film, crucially reinforcing the moods and connecting the characters with a range of beautifully mellow styles.

35 SHOTS OF RUM is a slow-moving film, gradually building to its powerfully touching low-key crescendo. The pace of the film is to its advantage, allowing the audience to bond with the characters. The story is engaging, drawing the audience into the slice-of-life story.

Forget the reality television shows that clog prime time and give 35 SHOTS OF RUM a chance to show how well crafted narrative fiction will always present a more authentic portrait of reality.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars