Spoiler Warning: This discussion contains some spoilers. It could be an entire gag from a comedy or an in-depth conversation concerning events in the second act.
"Now you have nothing to love."
Leos Carax's Annette is a film I have been excited about ever since seeing Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in the leading roles and the intense musical focus the chatter about the film seemed to indicate. What all that conversation and attention failed to mention was what a deeply strange experience Annette is. I am aware that Carax's style is wild and a little out there, but having never seen Holy Motors or any of his other projects, I wasn't aware it was this unusual.
Where to even begin with the film, unable to tie it down to a single genre, it's almost impossible to describe without watching it. A fascinating combination of romance, awkward comedy, with an overarching dramatic narrative encapsulated in an operatic musical. The comedy is perhaps the strangest element, with Adam Driver's Henry McHenry (a name that would seem strange but is about the most ordinary element of the film) delivering multiple stand-up routines in the opening act. The first sequence features few actual laughs and is a bizarre duet with the crowd in the film featuring what feels like in-jokes for the fictional comedian. Yet, the second act features Driver wildly licking the air and tickling his wife to death, but the atmosphere within the film makes these genuinely funny moments feel awkward to laugh at. It's frighteningly weird.
This isn't even mentioning that the opening musical number features the director, screenwriters, and leading actors out of character, but not themselves getting ready to start the show. Driver puts on his wig; Cotillard doesn't have the right hair colour. These opening few minutes are enjoyable simply for the choreography, framing, lighting, and catchy Sparks tune. Yet, before the real narrative has begun, it already begins to ask questions about whether any of what we see is real. The baby Annette will only confuse things further, as rather than being an actual child actor - it is a marionette baby. Wonderfully puppeteered? No doubt. Strange as fuck? Also, no doubt. In any other film, I'd begin to wonder if this was a metaphor for the baby being used by its parents or a meta-commentary on celebrity children as commodities. Instead, I still can't quite figure out if it's just to make things even creepier.
The narrative goes to places I did not expect from the opening half-hour, which is, all things considered, a relatively normal and nicely constructed romance with some passionate cinematography and even more passionate love sequences. It's intense and still kind of bizarre, but looks fantastic and is a brilliant time. It all changes when the baby appears. The cinematography and lighting remain superb, with exciting touches of colour and extravagant sets such as the yacht. However, Driver's performance becomes more alien, more unsettling; his physical appearance becomes noticeably different. The wooden baby sings? The wooden baby is an international superstar, touring the world and headlining the SuperBowl half-time show? What is going on? None of this even begins to touch on the weirder elements of the film; in fact, I'm barely scratching the surface here.
The question I continue to ask myself is, and still cannot answer, did I enjoy Annette? I think I swing onto the positive end of the spectrum simply for the reaction it created and the time I have spent thinking about it since. Maybe the Sparks soundtrack is full of songs that repeat the same lines over and over. Maybe the final act doesn't land the way I'd quite like it to. Yet, I wish more movies were this strange sometimes because, for one, I never knew what was around the corner with Annette. I'd love to see Driver get some recognition, but I already know it's too outré for that. Nice to see Simon Helberg doing some seriously great stuff after years of wasting away on The Big Bang Theory, also.
I think the most important thing to take away here is that this is going to be a love-hate movie for a lot of people. I think it's going to take one or even two more watches to see where I land with it. Gorgeous film, fantastic performances, ethereal feelings and some of the craziest attempts at comedy I've seen in some time. Carax is a madman.
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