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Director: Mathieu Amalric
Writer: Mathieu Amalric
Stars: Vicky Krieps, Arieh Worthsalter, Anne-Sophie Bowen-Chatet, Sacha Ardilly
Synopsis: Clarisse is a woman on the run from her family for reasons that aren’t immediately clear. This portrait of a woman in crisis alternates between Clarisse’s adventures on the road and scenes of her abandoned husband Marc as he struggles to take care of their children at home.
At dawn, Clarisse (Vicky Krieps, showcasing why she is one of today’s greatest actors) gets ready to leave behind her husband Marc (Arieh Worthsalter) and two children (Anne-Sophie Bowen-Chatet, Sacha Ardilly). She prepares her scant belongings, takes final mental pictures of the faces of her family, plays one last note of the piano that she will never hear again and looks around the home that will continue to nourish without her presence and love. While sad, there is a certain optimism and excitement in her face.
In ‘Hold Me Tight’, the sixth directorial effort of French actor Mathieu Amalric, mystery and uncertainty accompany every piece of the film, creating a puzzle that slowly evolves into an emotional silhouette of loss, grief, and love. While it starts with an apparent act of treason and crisis, it slowly shows its true colors and proves that precisely the complete opposite feelings inspire Clarisse’s actions. This clarity, presented in the middle, completely transforms the story, Clarisse’s emotional stability and the family she quit in such an eager way. The discovery of this ulterior motive is the guttural punch of the film, for what could have happened that could make Clarisse such an empathetic figure precisely because of her decision to abandon her loving family?
The script, written by the director himself and based on the play “Je reviens de loin” by Claudine Galea, is both an enigma and an ode to love. Built in a playful, frenzied way, it offers confusion as well as clarity, joy as well as sadness, understanding of its protagonist as well as harsh questionings that eventually evolve to sympathy. As it slowly peels its true story – the big mystery that would make sense of Clarisse’s actions – everything that happens on screen acquires a new meaning, too profound and overwhelming to remain indifferent. Hold Me Tight may be the most emotionally draining, and yet, loving film of 2022.
Using a non-linear narrative, the film takes place more in the head of Clarisse than in the disenchanting truth of real life. Clarisse carries on with her existence imagining her family in their routine, first struggling without her and then getting used to her absence, her daughter Lucie mastering her piano and becoming an expert, and her son Paul going through his rebellious period. She even has conversations with Marc, showing that her desire and love are as profound and alive as the day they met. In her mind, Clarisse finds solace, a threat of oblivion and the strength that allows her to carry on.
This film is deeply dependent on all its pieces working perfectly, each one having its moment of glory organically and discreetly within the story. Amalric and his team treat this story with such precision that the patience with which it was created is tangible. The editing by François Gedigier and the sound mixing by Stéphane Thiébaut are vital for Clarisse’s imagination to come to life. The film goes to the past, jumps to the future, takes place in reality and the imagination, with each moment clear and distinguishable from the other. Considering that the film unravels its essence throughout sequences of dreams, daydreaming, memories, and facts; it is an editing miracle that everything is understandable, coherent, and more importantly, emotionally affecting. For its part, constant sounds and conversations conquer the ears as independent images fill the screen. In this film, the sound is as vital as the images. Even the house where the majority of the story takes place is filled with clues and memories of a real family that evolves as the days, months and years pass. Each detail is gently taken care of.
Hold Me Tight is a gentle and heartbreaking story about love and moving on. Using techniques and narrative tools that remind of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and I’m Thinking of Ending Things, the story mostly takes place inside the mind of an unstable woman that yet has never been as awake and conscious as she is at present. Once the film uncovers what it really is, its majesty and emotional relevance gives a new meaning to Clarisse’s story and her monumental decision to leave.
Grade: A
