My Favorite Claire Denis Film

I've struggled with Claire Denis films, to the point where I was pretty sure the title of this post was going to be "The Claire Denis Film I Dislike the Least."  However, while I was catching up on the films of hers I hadn't seen, I did find some that I genuinely enjoyed.  I find Denis' work difficult to connect to because her characters are very raw and driven more by instinct and appetite than logic.  I would often find the intensely subjective narratives difficult to penetrate.  Her films require strict attention, because she'll hint at important information without ever stating it outright, and seems to prefer very open endings.  She's also extremely frank about sexuality, violence, and racial experiences in ways that often catch me off guard.

I don't think it's any surprise that my favorite Denis film is one of her most conventional, "Nenette and Boni."  Alice Houri and Gregoire Colin play a brother and sister pair, as they did in "US Go Home."  The two are estranged until the teenage sister, Nenette, shows up one day pregnant, and the older brother, Boni, reluctantly lets her live with him.  Boni is a familiar type of character, the directionless young man who seems content drifting through life, occasionally working or pulling off petty crimes.  He spends an amusing amount of time fantasizing about a woman who works at a bakery who doesn't know he exists.  His horndog ramblings and the long, lingering shots of pummeled dough and cream swirls, reflect his one-track mind.  Nenette, on the other hand, is clearly in crisis.  She doesn't want the baby, and after learning she can't get an abortion, seems resigned to going through with the birth and an adoption.  She goes through the film becoming more and more depressed, expressing less and less emotion.  By the end of the film, Boni has changed too, but he's unexpectedly developed an attachment to the baby that is so strong, he's compelled to take extreme measures to keep it.    

Denis' imagery in other films is so blunt and so stark, especially with regard to bodily fluids and functions, that they make me queasy.  Here, the unromanticized treatment of pregnant bodies felt refreshing, and Nenette's anxious  experiences with various parts of the medical establishment felt very honest and necessary.  Nenette doesn't care about the baby she's carrying and engages in risky behavior, including smoking.  But while her behavior is alarming, villainizing her is not the point.  Denis is far more interested in her state of mind, in her emotional reality in the moment.  Little background is offered for how Nenette became pregnant, and why she chose to run away and only seek care when it was far too late for an abortion.  We're only offered a piece of her story, and it's one where she's barely active - with no real control over the events that occur.  It's only at the very end, when the pregnancy is over, that Nenette seems to be able to breathe again, and is poised to move on.     

The alienation expressed by Nenette is matched by a deep, unnameable passion in Boni for life, for sex, and eventually for fatherhood.  The ending of the film unfolds so quickly, that if you look away from the screen for more than a few seconds, you'll completely miss what happens.  What's important, though, is recognizing that Boni's fixation on sexual gratification transforms, through caring for his sister, into a deeper drive to hang on to a piece of his lost family.  He sees an opportunity for a real connection at last, and takes it.  Initially, Boni is a charismatic, but careless creature, who skates by with minimal effort.  But when his fantasies are dispelled and he's given the chance to do something meaningful, he becomes focused, driven, and committed.  And watching this happen is wonderfully life-affirming.  

Trying to parse what made me so resistant to Denis' work, I think it comes down to me thinking about films too much in terms of plots and themes and messages, while Denis is very experiential, very sensual, and not afraid to arouse and/or disgust the viewer.  It literally took me years to get on the same wavelength she's been on, but I'm glad I finally did.  Denis is by far the most celebrated and prolific female director of the past two decades, and well worth giving a second look.

What I've Seen - Claire Denis

Chocolat (1988)

I Can't Sleep (1994)

US Go Home (1994)

Nenette and Boni (1996)

Beau Travail (1999)

Trouble Every Day (2001)

35 Shots of Rum (2008)

White Material (2009)

Bastards (2013)

Let the Sunshine In (2017)

High Life (2018)

Stars at Noon (2022)

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