Annette (2021)

Annette commits fully to what it's doing and therefore requires its audience to accept its absurdist aesthetic. It won't be for everyone. Those that can't embrace what it's doing will simply be annoyed. But those who can get into it can find the beauty in this tragic little story and its haunting if unnerving songs. Otherwise there isn't a way to overlook all its quirks and oddities. Some less mainstream films will allow ways in for more moderate audiences, ways to get past the eccentricities of a film that doesn't follow the regular rules of mainstream cinema. But with Annette you either get on board or it leaves you behind. 

Yes this is an almost sung through musical, sung by actors who aren't really singers, filled with songs by the fringe band The Sparks which aren't the kind that get you humming along. Yes this is a film that casts a moving baby doll as the title character (think Chucky). Yes this is a film that unironically tells the story of an opera singing baby. But besides the absurdist aspects the film is also dark, exploring the story of a very toxic man whose violence leads to the death of more than one character. All while repetitive songs echo over and over. 

So if you are going to get anything out of Annette you've got to accept all of that. That is likely more than most are going to be able to commit to. 

But hidden within all that is a powerful story about dealing with family abuse and violence. I found the ending to be more emotionally resonate than I expected. Could this story have been told with more realism and without the flare of the Sparks' influence? Probably. And it likely could have found a wider audience. But there is a beauty in Carax and the Mael's approach which is just singular, giving it a unique power that couldn't have been achieved another way. Something which gets into the heart of the darkness of a man and the impact this has on his daughter that wouldn't be there in a more traditional film. 

Annette

Starring: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Russell Mael, Ron Mael

Director: Leos Carax

Writers: Russell Mael, Rob Mael, Leos Carax