Keep Your Right Up

Don't you hate self-obsessed writers, directors and stars? Perhaps not after this. Jean-Luc Godard is all three in a wry drama looking very close to home. The lead character, y'see, is an annoyingly perfectionist film-maker determined to wring every last drop of the finest performance possible from his stars. No lengths are too long for this guy as he begs his players to put their souls into their performances. Perhaps it's an overdue, overwrought apology to the actors he's worked with, but Godard fashions a watchable, knowing drama. If you liked "Living In Oblivion", this is a good companion piece: it's not always the case that troubles are anyone's fault but the director's.