A Sweet Journey

The Voyage in question immerses the viewer in the world of these two talkative yet strangely inarticulate friends without offering easy answers or facile insights. The viewer follows where the Voyage leads, as the characters themselves do, and bask in the summer sunlight of the French countryside. There are answers but the questions themselves are ambiguous and contradictory. Chaplin and Sanda, consummate actors, bring a crackling intensity and (at times) affecting vulnerability to their roles. The soundtrack enhances contemplative episodes with tenderly played bagatelles from Beethoven, which offer ironic counterpoint even while evoking a nostalgia for "lost time". The claustrophobia-inducing tight interior shots bracketing the beginning and end of the film also intensify the exchange of roles between the two main characters that has gradually taken place during the journey. Elena (Sanda) has helped Lucia (Chaplin) rebuild her confidence and self-esteem but has herself become vulnerable and unstable in the process...

A story about two women who take a journey through the countryside recalling sexual experiences and fantasies. The movie comes across as an exploitive and not in a good way. I have seen these types of movies where it explores themes of sex, relationships and social issues. Sometimes, it makes a point and sometimes it does not. This film does not make a point. The women characters in this film across as something to please the male viewer with the sex talk and nudity. The movie is not about female friendships nor it is about women empowerment. So please don't compare this movie to Thelma and Louise. The only good thing about this movie is the acting: Dominque Sanda and Geraldine Chaplin did well with the material. They carried this movie. The bad: The first bathroom scene. It was creepy and pointless (judging by Chaplin's reaction, I get the impression she was not expecting it) The Ugly: The fantasy about the grandmother. Warning for anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault or knows someone who has There is an audio of rape played as the two main characters walked through the French countryside. I knew someone who was raped and It was unsettling listening to it. This movie is sexual fantasy for men.

Two women who have been lifelong friends take a few days off to bond while wandering around the French countryside. The whole film is little more than the two relating events to each other, mostly told in flashbacks. As such, it is not particularly engaging. To make up for the shortcomings of the script, the director comes up with excuses for each actress to strip every once in a while - not that there's anything wrong with that, especially when one of the bodies belongs to lovely Sanda. This being a French film, most of the exploits related by the women are sexual, including a truly bizarre one involving Sanda and her grandmother!

Against a long shot of a hilly French countryside with two miniscule figures strolling together, we hear a C.U. scene of violence and rape in a parking garage. The scene is all the more powerful because the device is a surprise in the film.

Imagine "Thelma & Louise", but much quieter, in France, and 11 years earlier. "Le Voyage En Douce" is not a film for all tastes and/or moods; it's deceptively simple and, on a surface level, very little happens. But look deeper and you may see themes of memory, fantasy, intimacy, sisterhood, and women's need / right to control their own choices (this is probably the only film where you'll hear a detailed discussion on unshaven female armpits!). Writer-director Michel Deville keeps surprising the viewer with inventive touches, like the ever-changing visualizations of some stories as they are being told. And he ends the film with a great enigmatic shot that can have you debating indefinitely. Dominique Sanda and Geraldine Chaplin are both absolutely terrific. This is the best Deville film I have seen so far. ***1/2 out of 4.

A Sweet Journey