It seems, along with Godard, Olivier Assayas is one of the cinema's keenest chroniclers reflecting the soulless modern world in the late stages of capitalism. He reflected on the internet porn industry and shady side of desire in Demon Lover, corporate espionage and power politics in Boarding Gate, Hollywood & stardom in Clouds of Sils Maria and fashion industry in Personal Shopper. Now he takes on the fate of the print media with a biting new comedy, Non-Fiction. It takes place mostly in Paris with an ensemble cast of French actors - Juliette Binoche, Guillaume Canet & Vincent Macaigne. Although the scale of the film might seem smaller & less glamorous, Assayas' observation on the publishing industry and the rising popularity of TV is, as usual, spot-on. In this fictional light comedy with its English Title Non-Fiction, along with its French Title Double vie, Assayas once again rightly reflects our society in real time. #olivierassayas #juliettebinoche #vincentmacaigne #nonfiction

At the outset, Olivier Assayas's Après mai is a biographical nostalgia piece about growing up in the aftermath of the May '68 events in France. But what it really is, is a social experiment in which 18-19 year olds, most of them first-time actors, reenact the youth of perhaps the most volatile time in contemporaneous French society, when the revolution seemed palpable - talking about his meta-ness and hall-of-mirrors. Assayas has a real knack for connecting with and getting great performances out of young actors The title refers to the student uprising and General Strike of May 1968. Something in the Air starts with a group of high school students' violent confrontation with baton wielding, teargas shooting cops on motorcycles. The scene is too energetic and immediate to be nostalgic. Set in 1971, this semi-autobiographical, ensemble piece about a group of friends in tumultuous times when everything seemed possible, is at once personal and sprawling. #Aprèsmai #olivierassayas #1968

Forget about Assayas’s penchant for portraying flash subjects and celebdom. It’s his spiritual longing in our modern world in late stage capitalism that is fascinating. As usual for Assayas standards, there are many international actors showing up - von Waldstätten, Lars Eidinger, Anders Danielson Lie. And of course in the middle of it all is Stewart. She plays her character with so much disdain. She doesn't need a man (pun intended) opposite of her to be sexy. Her eyes reading the text message, "you are afraid because it's forbidden?" alone makes her sexy. Assayas is operating on his top form with Personal Shopper. #kristenstewart #personalshopper #olivierassayas

This multi-layered reflections on real life situations with all the principals involved is wickedly entertaining. There is no surprise in the great Binoche, showing wide range of emotions of a seasoned actress as she grapples the idea of time passing and celeb-dom but it's Stewart who steals the show. That cocky confidence, that one note delivery is a perfect match for the role. Their back and forth banter is extremely believable and nuanced. Assayas never makes it over-the-top: the sexual tension between the two women are subtly presented, never vulgar. And the storytelling is brimming with intelligence but never feels trickery. One of the most entertaining, engaging films I've seen by Assayas.
#cloudsofsilsmaria #olivierassayas #juliettebinoche #kristenstewart

Tokyo Drifter (1969) - Sujuki
Irma Vep (2022) - Assayas
#visualmotifs #olivierassayas #seijunsuzuki

ME: Holy shit, #OlivierAssayas is the son of Jacques Rémy? How have I spent more than two decades teaching #filmstudies and not knowing this awesome fact?

ALSO ME: Holy shit, I was thinking of Jacques Demy. I actually don't know Rémy. How have I spent more than two decades teaching film studies when I so easily confuse Rémy with Demy?

#film #cinema #Cinemastodon @cinephile

“I am a product of French independent filmmaking in many ways. But simultaneously, it’s been frustrating to see that there are certain things you can do and can’t do in any film culture. At some point there’s this framework and I’m always excited by what’s beyond the framework. Kristen brings another dimension which is youth. It’s essential. It’s vital. Independent filmmaking is kind of losing touch with the young audience”#persnalshopper #kristenstewart #olivierassayas
http://www.dustinchang.com/2017/03/interview-olivier-assayas-on-kristen.html?m=1

As this year winds down I am trying somewhat frantically to finish my Goodreads goal, so I've been working through the "Contemporary Film Directors" series. Learned via the one on #ClaireDenis that TROUBLE EVERY DAY (2001) and IRMA VEP (1996) were both born of Denis and #OlivierAssayas planning to make a three-part movie set in a hotel, each part helmed by a different director. Two movies I never would have thought about together otherwise!

With the long form storytelling (as an 8-part HBO mini series), Olivier Assayas is allowed to develop and elaborate more from his Maggie Cheung starring 1996 Irma Vep. As usual, fluidly infusing his life long obsessions, reflections on film history and compulsion to create, in order not to get lonely, Assayas creates light, airy and playful love letter to creative process. #olivierassayas #irmavep #aliciavicander #vincentmacaigne #larseidinger #hbomax

#OlivierAssayas’s miniseries adaptation (2022) of his own film #IrmaVep (1996) is terrific. "Too clever for its own good"? I'll take clever over corny or crap any day.

But the film is something else. And it stars the phenomenal #MaggieCheung. No spoilers, but the audacious ending blew me away. It leaves you with a sense of new beginning & infinite possibilities instead of mundane & manufactured closure. A stunning reminder of the possibilities of cinema & like the discovery of a new art form.

My director picks (off the top of my head):

#MiraNair
#PaulFeig
#GinaPrinceBythewood
#OlivierAssayas
#NoraEphron
#NancyMeyers
#DorothyArzner