Va Savoir – Jaqcues Rivette’s look at Rhomer’s cinema

Both Rohmer and Rivette are among the masters of the French New Wave and they both have their small fascinacions for every day life, female characters and other forms of art (theatre is an important part of Rivette’s movies and literature in Rhomer’s) but not in the same way. While Rivette proved himself as one of the most enigmatic french filmmakers Rohmer’s work is too simple to deal with mysteries – people’s thoughts are what interests him.

In 2003 – about 40 years after the Nouvelle Vague period, when both of the two pioneers in french cinema wrote for the “Cahiers du cinema” Jacques Rivette directs “Va Savoir” as a homage to the films of his than collegue so before discussing the movie itself it would be better to say a few words about the cinema of Eric Rohmer. Rohmer’s films are in two words extrordinary ordinary. He is one of those directors that deal mainly with human relations, and so his characters (often women) talk about love, friendship, sexuality, books, movies, summer vacations – nothing that the viewer could find amazing – but probably with one of the biggest sincerities in cinema. The structure of his work is usually build upon film series following a certain conception (Six Moral Tales, Comedies And Proverbs, Tales Of Four Seasons). Rohmer is a walker and a teacher in the ways he looks at every day life in his movies. Well, so, in “Va Savoir” Rivette overlooked  things such as family mysteries and secret societies but prefered to turn his attention to love triangles and brother – sister relationships. But, yes, there is a note of mystery in “Va Savoir” – the manuscript which Ugo (Sergio Castellitto) is searching, something that brings to mind Rohmer’s fascination for literature and Sonia’s (Marianne Basler) stolen ring, something that brings to mind the story about the necklace in Rohmer’s “A Tale of Springtime”. Anyawy, although very rhomeresque, this movie still contains some of the typical for Rivette things. The first is theatre – the story follows an Italian theatre troupe playing “How You Desire Me” in Paris, and the second, the haunted by the past characters – Camille (Jeanne Balibar) begins her emotional frustration after returning to Paris after a log time and Sonia doesn’t stop talking of her previous life,”a very different life” she says and also mentions that her lover Arthur (Bruno Todeschini) reminds her of some one she used to know, “some one dangerous” as we learn from her. The developement of a female friendship that can be seen in almost every Rivette film is here too, and so looking for the stolen ring Camille and Sonia can remind us Celine and Julie and of Ninon and Louise from “Up Down Fragile” as women becoming friends and solving mysteries.

The two directors have some things in common in general, but this Rivette work reminds of Rohmer work more than any other so the admirers of the both of them will realy love this film and those who don’t like Rivette’s oddity from “Out 1” and “Le Pont du Nord” may prefer this.