NELLY Review

NELLY

Film Review by FIORE

French films are often artsy-craftsy.  Mix the French with Canada, and we’re talking about the bohemians who inhabit Yeung Street waiting for government hand-outs, and you have NELLY, an art film with so many holes it becomes mandatory to read the film’s background material before viewing.  Time misplaced editing and uncomfortable extended scenes without dialogue or music serve to make NELLY a confusing and mind-numbing experience.

 

Anne Emond wrote and directed NELLY.  She makes a striking example of why films helmed by women generally flop at the box office; they commonly do not think in linear, logical rapports.   At first, it seems there are four different characters, all portrayed by the same actress.  There is a bit of truth to that concept, but research into the main character Nelly Arcan, nee Isabelle Fortier, reveals that while there are four different characters, they are all the same person, just at different times of her life.  She exhibits a Sally Field as SYBIL type of personality, which is viewed by the artistic community as somehow innovative, imaginative and creative; most would think she’s just a looney.  

Her story unfolds erratically because it is cut in non-linear format, by Editor Mathieu Bouchard-Malo (another of the dreaded three name people, worse because this one is hyphenated), juxtaposing scenes from her life, her books and creative license adventures.  NELLY was an official selection in the Toronto International Film Festival, so there are enough progressive artists to award the film some notoriety, but I found it largely distracting and confusing. 

NELLY is played by Mylene Mackay, a Canadian ingénue actress who makes a striking screen appearance.  She spends half the film in total or partial nakedness, which was a huge distraction for me, attempting to read the subtitles and admire her form simultaneously.  Mila Corbeil-Gauvreau (yet another), plays Nelly as a child.  Most will remember her from 2015’s THE DEMONS.  Michael Gouin plays Francois, Kelly's drug addicted boyfriend.  This is the second time he has worked with Emond.  Finally, Sylvie Drapeau plays Suzanne, Kelly's friend and confidante.  She is largely unknown to American audiences, but has made a mark in Quebec. 

So, the audience is struck with a barrage of scenes, haphazardly spliced to present the different aspects of NELLY.  The confusion remains until the final reel, but then presents an ending so vague one can only guess at its meaning.    Nelly has concepts of sex, gender and the role of women that only a life of prostitution could bring.  Most men are cognizant of these mores simply by conversing with the ladies who inhabit various bars and homespun breweries on the weekend, yet NELLY elevates this ideology to pontifical proclamations.  

About two-thirds through the film, Nelly claims “she cannot find an ending to her new novel”.  That is an understatement.  The film is so disjointed it would be more apropos to exclaim “she cannot find a plot”.  

As a preface to prepare you for this film, NELLY concerns a woman, who became a prostitute to write about prostitution.  Her first book, Whore, was a best seller in both France and Canada.  She wrote a total of four books, before she committed suicide.  The movie never explains this, so knowing it before you go in, will make watching NELLY much more enjoyable.  It also explains the extended, blurred dissolve of her descending the stairs at the film’s conclusion.