‘Celine and Julie Go Boating’ grows curiouser and curiouser

Celine and Julie Go Boating, Jacques Rivette’s landmark film that’s now playing New York City’s Film Forum, is a hallucinatory look at two women and their unending fascination with the peculiarities of life. Celine (Juliet Berto) and Julie (Dominique Labourier) become best friends in the three-hour epic for no apparent reason. One sees the other at a park, and then the adventures down the rabbit hole begin.

The story is largely plotless, but certain themes emerge from the murkiness. Both are interested in magic. Both wile away the days in each other’s company, talking about seemingly innocuous subjects. Both laugh constantly and are able to change their emotions within a second.

And then a strange house enters the story. Celine first approaches the front door of this sure-to-be haunted homestead and enters its enveloping folds. It’s never clear what happens when inside the house, but as audience members we’re transported away to a parallel existence where Celine is now an actor in a large family drama involving a married couple, their sick daughter and a nanny (played by Celine). Just when the murder mystery plot of the haunted house starts getting good, Celine is pulled back into reality, unable to process what just happened.

Eventually, both Celine and Julie grow fascinated with this parallel storyline, and they alternately take turns entering the house and placing themselves within the middle of the drama. Soon enough, they don’t even have to enter the house to get this storytelling “high.” All they need is the aid of a few colorful pills, and their fantasies begin.

Rivette’s film is a transcendent exercise in cinematic experimentation. Berto and Labourier embody these characters so much that the entire project feels like a reality television show. The lines of dialogue feel organic and unscripted. The action is spontaneous and disconnected from the greater picture. Although there are fantastical elements to this 1974 film, it’s the reality behind the movie that stands the test of time. We spend so much time with these two characters (and, at 193 minutes, it’s a long time), that we come to know and enjoy their company, as if they are inviting us to take a pill and join the journey ourselves.

It’s hard to say what the movie means and why Rivette decided to make his choices. There’s definitely a connection between dreams and reality, and the director finds a nice balance in molding the two together. But Celine and Julie Go Boating has more to do with perception and our ability (or inability) to focus on certain people or occurrences in our life. By watching Celine and Julie have such a good time, we’re asked to consider their lighthearted fun in two different lights: Are they two women living a seemingly free life, or is there something darker that’s bubbling just beneath the surface? Why do they feel such a need to escape?

Trying to answer these deep questions is half the fun of watching Celine and Julie. The other half is kicking back and watching these two lives unfold along their direction-less paths.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Celine and Julie Go Boating

• In French with English subtitles

• 1974

• Directed by Jacques Rivette

• Written by Rivette, Juliet Berto, Eduardo de Gregorio, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier and Marie-France Pisier

• Starring Berto and Labourier

• Running time: 193 minutes

• Rating: