Early in André Téchiné's new film Changing Times, a portly business man in a rain coat (Gerard Depardieu) steps into the watery bottom of a building site in Tangiers. He gently rests his hands on a dirt wall and is soon engulfed in dirt and mud. He literally disappears before our eyes.
This tension--is Depardieu dead? alive?--drives the film from beginning to end, along with various other tense plot lines: a young Arab woman returning from Paris (Lubna Azabal) whose religious twin sister won't see her, a closeted gay son (Malik Zadi) whose lover's home is guarded by ominous, barking attack dogs, and the film's brittle matriarch, Cecile, in a surprisingly bitter, effective performance by Catherine Deneuve.
Gepardieu plays Antoine, a man who for thirty years has nursed a passion for his long lost first love. He appears in Tangiers, ostensibly for a major construction job, but really with the intent to woo Denueve back. She, however, is not interested in being wooed. Cecile has a job at a local radio station, a younger Moroccan doctor for her husband (Gilbert Melki), and on top of that, difficult house guests. The return of her old lover clearly unsettles her. Cecile throws away his roses, mocks his advances. And yet.
Deneuve and Depardieu have appeared in seven films together in their long and equally wondrous careers; Téchiné (
Strayed, Wild Reeds) exploits their past in his current project. In a pivotal scene in
Changing Times, Depardieu slips an old photo under the wooden slats of Deneauve's bed frame. It is a real black and white photo of the actors in their youth. They are heartbreakingly beautiful, smiling, holding hands. Antoine and Cecile are both substantially thicker; they are wrinkled. The natural aging process also seems to affect movie stars, but the transformation is shocking nonetheless.
It's impossible to know what to expect in Changing Times. The film's setting, Tangiers, is both vibrant and jarring. The hand held camera does not make for smooth viewing; in addition, there is constant noise--traffic jams, music in the streets, construction. Even the woods are a menacing place, with homeless settlers populating the edges. Until the film ends, Téchiné masterfully maintains an uncomfortable suspense, only to provide a soothing, wonderful and much welcome release.
