I know exactly what you’re thinking. Frankly, I was thinking something similar. Oh, a film produced and starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (billed as Angelina Jolie Pitt), written and directed by Jolie and set along the French coast. Talk about a vanity project, right? Wrong. By the Sea isn’t a vanity project. This isn’t a piece of generic awards bait hoping to cash in the simple premise of beautiful people sharing the screen with a beautiful locale. By the Sea is film that attempts something more challenging for audiences, and it mostly succeeds. One thing By the Sea most definitely isn’t – a crowd pleaser. This is a film that’s opening scenes feel like a mix of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Jean Luc Goddard’s Contempt, but lacks the wherewithal to take that harsh mixture to its proper conclusion.
Set in the ‘70s, Roland (Pitt) and Vanessa (Jolie) are in a rut with their personal lives and their professional lives. Roland, a writer, has taken them to France for him to work on his latest book. Vanessa, a former dancer, is cold and distant, rarely speaking. They each have their vices – she’s constantly popping pills and he is prone to heavy drinking, spending many days and nights at a local café run by Michel (Niels Arestrup), an older widower. But their malaise is broken when newlyweds François (Melvil Poupaud) and Lea (Mélanie Laurent) start to occupy the room next door. Matters are made all the more interesting when Vanessa finds a hole in the wall with which to observe her neighbors. At first this is just a solo affair, but Roland, too, joins in the voyeurism. The thrills that revitalize their romance may very well open old wounds and threaten to wreck their fragile marriage.
By the Sea will bore many people to tears with its slow pacing, but I respect that Angelina Jolie attempts something farther from the norm. Had the story continued escalating further in the film’s final act, I’d be able to say that as a writer and director she achieved something special. Instead, she opts for a rather rote conclusion that doesn’t truly satisfy the solid two hours of methodically paced domestic drama. As a director, Jolie has constructed an artfully crafted movie that looks wonderful with stylistic flourishes sprinkled throughout, including a few jump cuts reminiscent of films from the French New Wave. I honestly enjoyed much of the ride, but still have a hard time even mildly suggesting that this would be a film that’s widely accessible.
In front of the camera, Jolie embodies a near recreation of Anna Karina, another icon of the French New Wave, with her eyelash extensions and heavy layers of eyeshadow. She gives a strong performance as the enigmatic Vanessa. At first, she give Vanessa a cold veener, bordering between catatonic and psychopathic. As soon as the couple begin peering on their neighbors, there’s a strong chemistry between her and her husband Pitt, who brings his typical swagger to his sadsack drunkard. Suddenly, Jolie’s sedated visage comes alive and gives By the Sea its best moments, when the film feels almost dangerous in its brazenly audacious methodical pacing and escalating sexuality. Alas, though, these moments fade as the conclusion draws near.
Sadly, By the Sea completely fumbles its final act, slowly winding down without pushing itself further. It seemingly settles at the end when it needed that extra layer to make it all really worth it. But By the Sea is by no means a disaster or debacle. Angelina Jolie hits most of the targets she’s aiming for, only losing her aim when it matters most. This isn’t a work of simple tawdry romance, and I have much respect for Jolie for crafting this lengthy homage to the French New Wave. That, however, won’t translate to a large audience. I still think it’s incredibly cool that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, two of the most photographed people in the world, have produced a bizarre little love story about voyeurism in the modern studio system. It may not be a perfect movie, but By the Sea exists for many more reason than vanity.’