PrimeWire

I recently revisited this film, after having only seen it once about 20 years ago. Suffice to say, I didn’t enjoy it even the second time around.
While in technique, it is a “good” film—- excellent acting, expert camera work, appropriate lighting — it felt entirely too long. The brief description above is pretty accurate. That is, this is not an action movie, and has very little “action” to speak of.
We see a talented artist trying to translate his conflicting infatuation and annoyance (hence, the title) with his muse. From there goes on scene after scene of an impatient, frustrated girl, sitting uncomfortably for a somewhat cold painter. The questions “truth, life and artistic limits” are laid out, but in the most listless, rambling way. Conversations between the artist and model are deadpan, flat and similarly cold, with very little breaking up the monotony.
Whenever the pace happens to pick up, I found it disappointing that these swells of tension didn’t really lead anywhere. I’m not the sort that needs every single metaphor or double meaning explained to me, but perhaps I found their conversations dull because I personally found the characters unrelatable. That said, there are several instances where you’d think something dramatic or important is about to happen, only instead, the model and artist are arguing again. It just feels rather shallow for something that goes on well beyond 2 hours.
This was labeled an “erotic drama”, yet it’s hardly arousing (unless you’re counting a nude figure art model as “eroticism”) and the drama rarely veers beyond arguing. If anything, it maintains a passive aggressive vibe throughout. The title is oddly fitting, as the film is technically ‘beautiful’, yet…annoying to watch.

To me, this is the type of film that steers less-adventurous movie fans away from (so-called) “foreign films” (or more specifically, the stereotype that French films are boring, inexplicable and pretentious).
Perhaps, though, I missed something? I’d love to hear someone else’s opinion on this one.