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Claire Denis’ Both Sides of the Blade frontloads the happiness. Denis sticks it not to the film’s ending — the spot with which that emotion has the best relationship in movies — but at the very beginning, while the couple at the core of the film, Jean and Sara (Vincent Lindon and Juliette Binoche, both excellent), are on vacation. They’re spending the afternoon in a picturesque lagoon, playfully frolicking when not making out in its crystalline waters. (Denis shoots everything like it were a home video to look back on years from now and smile at.) We don’t know anything about these people at this point, but are quick to think optimistically: isn’t it nice that this middle-aged couple’s relationship is still so loving?

But it turns out that this escapade doesn’t exactly summarize Jean and Sara’s bond: it’s just a testament to the temporarily healing powers of a sunny day at a beautiful locale. Once they get back to their rather tight one-bedroom apartment in Paris, their usual dynamic, defined by a lack of communication on the taciturn Jean’s part, kicks back in. 

Read the full column here.