A quick hit on Philippe Garrel, Van Morrison, and irony

— from 2001's Sauvage Innocence, which looks rather sexy, no?

— here I link to an essay by Quintín, who does not care for the film; he closes his argument against irony thus:

This kind of moral dilemma (“I can make this film against drugs if I help sell drugs”) is at the core of the most primitive Hollywood filmmaking. But something is wrong if a sophisticated director like Garrel indulges himself by messing with this cheap material. In a way, the depiction of intimacy with a twist of irony is a nouvelle vague device that goes back to À bout de souffle (1960). But after all these years, this particular mix of detachment and autobiographical narcissism that gave rise to dandyism has turned sour. In the beginning, there was a world outside and making films was a reaction to it. Now, there is no world left. It's just a matter of solipsism, a game of certain individuals playing with their minds and memories, and a group of admirers celebrating. That's why Sauvage innocence is an empty film.

— having not seen this particular Garrel film, I cannot argue with our man Quintín here; however, I can say that, yes, irony is slippery indeed, and it's rare that it resolves well, but one thing I totally dig about Les amants réguliers is how sincere it all feels... and how smart it is about drug use. I imagine this is consistent in the previous film.

— this dischord makes me yearn to see Sauvage Innocence all the more.

— my favorite piece of writing on Garrel is this piece by Serge Daney, reprinted in English by Rouge.