Claire's Knee (1971)

Saw Claire's Knee (1971), a French film about a man who is about to enter into a companionate marriage with his friend.  Prior to the wedding, he visits a house full of women on the beach of some nice lake.  There's an author woman, who is the main character's friend, another woman who owns the house, and the owner's two daughters.  Clair is one of the daughters and is very pretty, but dating a muscular lunkhead.  The other daughter, Laura, develops a school-girl crush on the main character, but the main character only has eyes for the other daughter: Clair.

The film reminded me strongly of Call Me By Your Name.  There's a similar floating, too many days on vacation kind of feel to it and also a somewhat off-putting central romance with a large age gap.  This film is somewhat more tame however (although fruit are involved (cherries) no one ever fucks a peach.)  The main character discusses his feelings with the author woman and in the end they contextualize the whole affair as neatly as a Victorian novel, explaining to each other how not only did nothing improper happen, but it was all for the greater good in the end, reveling in their own paradox.

I found the film a little tedious.  I think I was too sleepy to give it fair shake, but I wasn't able to understand what it really all about.  We see the protagonist interact with many women, see him be pursued, see him do the pursuing.  I suppose this is meant to be a commentary on the relationship between men and women, but we just sort of get a sampler pack instead of diving deep into any one thing.  What's it all for?  The film is shot in perpetually shining, sunny days and the dialogue is all delivered in a polite and pleasant manner, in the style of a dinner conversation debating philosophy.  It's all very pretty and pleasant, but what I'm supposed to dig into under this pleasant exterior is a mystery to me.

This film felt a little like lazing about in a waterfront cottage: a little boring, a little catty, very pretty, but very little going on.  I think I missed this one.