Paris Je T'aime (2006)

English translation: Paris, I love you!

Directors: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gérard Depardie , Gurinder Chadha , Sylvain Chomet, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant

Story: Bruno Podalydès , Paul Mayeda Berges , Gurinder Chadha , Gus Van Sant , Ethan Coen , Joel Coen , Walter Salles , Daniela Thomas , Christopher Doyle , Gabrielle Keng Peralta , Rain Kathy Li , Isabel Coixet , Nobuhiro Suwa , Sylvain Chomet , Alfonso Cuarón , Olivier Assayas , Oliver Schmitz , Richard LaGravenese , Vincenzo Natali , Wes Craven , Tom Tykwer , Gena Rowlands , Nadine Eid , Alexander Payne

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Elijah Wood, Nick Nolte, Natalie Portman, Steve Buscemi and many more

Time: 120 minutes

Bottom-line: Impossible not to enjoy; different stories entertain different people

He who contemplates the depths of Paris is seized with vertigo.
Nothing is more fantastic. Nothing is more tragic.
Nothing is more sublime. – Victor Hugo

Buscemi as an American tourist (Coen brothers)

The assorted collection of short films, Paris, Je T’aime is an anthology film: it features eighteen clips, shot in the different arrondissements of Paris, each directed by a different person, and with a different cast. The stories are not related at all; rather the film is like a collection of documentaries, giving the viewers to get a vicarious feeling of a Paris holiday!

Among the eighteen stories, we see a how a young male customer is attracted towards a shop worker, and goes on talking about how he believes the other to be his soulmate. We see an American tourist getting beat up by a French man and his girlfriend when he accidentally makes eye contact, thereby breaking the cardinal rule. Then there is the boy who narrates the story of how his parents – both mime artists – met in prison and fell in love. There’s the encounter between a young man and a vampire, with whom he falls in love. And to finish it off, we have a lady on her first European holiday, narrating what she loves about Paris.

 

Nick Nolte and Ludivine Sagnier, in Cuaron's sequence

The best part about the film is that it caters to all audiences. You want comedy? You got it. Tragedy? Yes, sir! Romance? Introspection? Horror (sort of)? It’s all here. Paris, Je T’aime gives us an insight into the different styles of filming of the different directors; each sequence lasts not more than 7-8 minutes, but each is more-or-less complete in itself. I, for one, liked the part directed by Cuarón (that features a single continuous shot – ah, typical Cuarón – lasting 5 minutes, revolving around a father-daughter conversation), Coen brothers (the American tourist at the station) and Tom Tykwer (the story of love between a blind boy and a struggling actress; a romance lasting 6 minutes on screen, yet capturing all the ups and downs, giving almost the same effect as a complete story; I loved the camerawork and the narrative of this part).

 

Portman and Melchior Beslon (Tom Tykwer)

The film also serves as a sightseeing opportunity. 18 districts in Paris are shown; the different people and places, the shots of other landmarks in between two clips give the viewer a good visual tour (and a good reminder if you have already been there!). Some actors like Natalie Portman and Willem Dafoe are well-established Hollywood actors, while there are a lot of new faces too. The language spoken is mainly French, but there is a little bit of English too. The sequence that Elijah Wood stars in has no dialogues at all! That’s the unique aspect of the film: each part has something special that makes it stand out.

 

A glimpse of all the stories 

There will certainly be a lot of “unevenness” in the narrative structure – each director will have their own style, and the change will be clearly noticeable. The experience, however, will be an enjoyable one; each plot offers a new insight into a new area of Paris. It’s not a great film, but if you ever wanted to visit Paris, this film will give you far more information and visuals than you expect!

My Rating: 3/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 87%