The Clouds of Sils Maria - B

Juliette Binoche

Rated R, 123 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Affecting, well-acted "Clouds of Sils Maria" explores the feminine pursuit of happiness

The engaging, affecting dramedy "Clouds of Sils Maria" has a strong feminine streak to it, though it's not a feminist movie (or click flick) per se. The well-acted film features three strong actresses, each with a different purpose. Maria Enders (prolific Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche) is an acclaimed international actress at her peak who is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years earlier, except this time she's asked to play the part of the older woman, Helena. A young Hollywood starlet with a penchant for scandal (Chloë Grace Moretz) is to take on the role of the younger Sigrid, the part Maria originated years earlier. With her assistant Val (Kristen Stewart), Maria goes to rehearse in Sils Maria, a remote region of the Alps, where she gains insight and purpose into her personal and professional life. Directed and written by French director Olivier Assayas, the lushly Switzerland-filmed and compelling "The Clouds of Sils Maria" is a talky, slow-moving but thoughtful, touching film about the feminine pursuit of happiness at different stages of life. Grounded superbly by the always beguiling French actress Binoche (who, along with other Oscar winners Anne Hathaway and Charlize Theron, can rock a short haircut), it could've easily been a drab behind-the-scenes and play-within-a-movie that we've seen so much of lately, but the warm chemistry between Binoche and the excellent Stewart make the film intriguing viewing. As Maria's long-suffering, smart assistant, Stewart's witty, often blunt performance is the highlight of the film and is easily its most vivid turn, proving along with the recent award-winning "Still Alice," that Stewart has an identity outside of "Twilight" and she can keep up with older, Oscar-winning actresses; Stewart was also seemingly well-cast, as some of the themes mirror her real career. The lovely Moretz, with considerably less footage than Binoche and Stewart, is believable as the young starlet who is essentially another version of Maria herself. Told over three "acts" much like a real play, the thought-provoking "Clouds of Sils Maria" is too long and overly symbolic in its parallels between real-life and play characters, but its strong performances from Binoche and Stewart (who has won some international awards for the part) will keep you engaged and talking afterwards. Definitely worth a look.