Starring Chloë Sevigny and Claes Bang

settings you are so sad A large villa facing the sea in a Mediterranean town in southern France is so charming that you will be immediately attracted to this adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s classic novel. The first film from writer-director Durga Chew-Bose, this tale of adolescent longing, jealousy, and sexual awakening is updated to the present day and is always a joy to watch, from the brightly colored floor tiles to the shimmering water. But once you get inside, you’ll find its emotional trajectory to be surprisingly bland, despite a cast that includes two usually dynamic actors, Claes Bang and Chloë Sevigny.

The storyline is essentially the same as the one that made Sagan a sensation when the book was published in 1954. . She’s on vacation with her father, Raymond (Bang), and his latest young girlfriend, Elsa (Nelia Hazon), who, like everyone else, is sure to be replaced soon. Sevigny plays an old friend, the stylish but appropriate fashion designer Anne, who comes to join them. When Anne and Raymond suddenly become engaged, Cecil plans to break them up and keep his life as it is.

Cecil’s mother had died a few years earlier, and she and Raymond had a particularly close, though not suspicious, relationship. Chubbs makes a wise choice to open the film with Cecile and her new love, a neighbor about her own age, Cyril (Ariocha Schneider). Whatever Cecil’s daddy issues may be, she’s not just obsessed with her dad; One night she surprises Cyril by sneaking into his bed.

But she had a keen eye for Raymond’s affairs. Part of the problem with the new version is that sexual freedoms that were shocking seventy years ago are no longer shocking to fathers or daughters. The strangest behavior here is that everyone smokes and the adults even light cigarettes for Cecil. Yew-Both’s script doesn’t explore the characters deeply enough to replace the book’s jaw-dropping quality with any psychological depth.

Maximilian Pitner’s cinematography sparkles throughout; you are so sad Move smoothly. But the acting looks stiff and not intentionally stylized. We know Bang (square and Apple TV+ bad sister) can be charming even when playing a villain. Raymond is supposed to be an interesting scoundrel, but he’s oddly lifeless. McInerney (Hulu’s tell me lies and Palm trees and power lines) makes Cecil’s jealousy and confusion visceral, but the script doesn’t give her much to do but rest in the sun, trying to break off the engagement by having Elsa seduce Raymond away from Anne.

Sevigny is better in her role, in part because Annie is already so damaged. She had her hair tied up tightly, her manner was reserved, and she tried to get Cecil to study for her college entrance exams. The actress has a stunning scene where the camera gets close to her face, capturing an expression of pure, eye-opening anguish as she realizes how unfaithful Raymond has been. But a lot of the time these characters are just expressing their feelings.

Crewe-Boss has written about film and published a book of essays, Too many, not in the mood (2017). Her script is thoughtful enough to enhance the motivations behind Raymond and Anne’s unlikely decisions. She and Raymond’s late wife were close friends, suggesting that there may be more to Anne and Raymond’s history than anyone knows. But it was all fleeting. Indeed, from Cecil’s limited perspective, she can’t understand what’s going on any better than we can. But that doesn’t offset the film’s overall shallowness.

Cecil’s machinations have tragic consequences that ultimately lead to the end of the book and plunge her into true grief. Crewe-Boss made the bold choice to extend the story beyond the novel, resulting in one of the best episodes in cinema, a chilling reveal of the emotional impact of Cecil’s actions. More courage might make you are so sad More than just a pretty picture.