Like other anthology films, the new Paris, Je T’Aime has its strong points and its low points, and no two viewers will agree on which is which. Eighteen directors participated in this tribute to the City of Lights, each assigned to a different neighborhood. Each short film runs an average of eight minutes, so even if you get stuck with a clunker, it’s not long before the next one starts.
Overall, the filmmakers manage to capture a sense of wonder and romance about the city, even if the “neighborhood” concept isn’t consistent. Some of the filmmakers never leave a single block or location. In any case, I very much enjoyed Joel and Ethan Coen’s sadistic comedy about a sad-sack traveler (Buscemi) navigating the Metro. Walter Salles—normally not my favorite filmmaker—turns in a faintly obvious but emotionally powerful story of a woman (Catalina Sandino Moreno) who drops off her baby before going to work as a nanny in a rich, white household.
Olivier Assayas’ segment, with Gyllenhaal as an actress (speaking almost exclusively French), is potent. Alexander Payne’s, with Margo Martindale as a dumpy American tourist—narrating in French, but with a terrible American accent—wobbles between snarky and moving. There’s a vampire story (starring Elijah Wood), but Wes Craven did not direct it; Craven’s segment features the ghost of Oscar Wilde (played by Alexander Payne!).
My favorite, however, has to be Alfonso Cuaron’s single-shot tale of a middle-aged man (Nick Nolte) and a beautiful young woman (Ludivine Sagnier) and a twist ending. My least favorite featured a mime.