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Certified Copy (Film)

by Julian Shaw | February 15, 2011 09:56 | Edited February 15, 2011 09:59

An ambitious, cryptic and often fascinating film which unfortunately lapses into moments of tedium.

In a multilingual, ambitiously restrained picture, acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami (Taste Of Cherry, The Wind Will Carry Us, Through The Olive Trees) whisks us away to Tuscany, where English scribe James Miller (William Shimell) is promoting his new book, Certified Copy. Concerned with post-modern concepts of authenticity and imitation, the book is a heady academic tome, but the rakish Brit author seems to be something of a rock star for the ageing literary set.

 

Debates about reality and culture spill beyond the hotel lobby press conference and onto the road, when Miller takes an impromptu daytrip with French fan and gallery owner, Elle (Juliette Binoche). The pair soon find themselves in the highly photogenic village of Lucignano, where they commence a strange courting ritual that consumes much of the film's remaining running time.

 

The two characters play versions of themselves - some genuine, some pantomime - invoking images of a past or future dalliance. Such a story, despite heavy slabs of dialogue, has a gossamer-thin temperament, and the wispy plot leaves everything to rest on the two performances. Binoche is clearly up to it - her richly layered work here won a Best Actress gong at The Cannes Film Festival. Not only are her acting instincts as honed as ever, but time is clearly doing nothing to diminish Binoche's sensual beauty. On the other hand, Shimell - an acclaimed opera baritone but novice actor - belies his inexperience with a confident performance, but he doesn't quite have the rich expressiveness or range of his veteran co-star, which can leave the on-screen dynamics feeling lopsided.

 

An esoteric, sometimes stubbornly paced slice-of-life that recalls a middle-aged Before Sunset, Certified Copy is an almost-love story that ultimately drifts between moments of magnetism and tedium.