Reckless, Unfocussed Thoughts on an Enigmatic Film
Claire Denis' THE INTRUDER is a French film of pure poetry. Reminiscent of T.S. Eliot, her images and storyline seems at first impenetrable. In THE INTRUDER, Denis continues her line of work centered around racism, and race in general. Her main character, Louis Tebor, is a man who lives in (or near) the woods with his two dogs. One night in the darkness he hears stirring outside, leaves his bed, and kills an intruder. He hides the body, he dreams of mass torture / violence, and we can see that he has just had a heart transplant or open heart surgery. He is searching for his son, who is an islander boy he abandoned, he wants to leave all of his money to this boy, he releases his dogs into the wild, he cruelly looks about the screen. This is what happens in THE INTRUDER, and the sequence of events and connections were not always clear. This was only my first time viewing Denis' film, but I could tell that multiple viewings would clarify or enhance the experience. Accompanying THE INTRUDER is a wonderfully dark and modern score: one of the best I've heard to accompany a modern film. Despite its complications, it is not difficult to understand the main narrative at work: 1. Louis Tebor must accept his heart, but his son cannot accept him. 2. This is a visual film which is supposed to haunt its viewer. I concede that I did not fully understand THE INTRUDER, but I was aware of its greatness that hid beneath layered storytelling and images. I will, without a doubt, return to this film, but for now it was merely good.The Intruder (L'intrus): ★★★
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