ANNETTE. A unique audiovisual spectacle

Leos Carax has placed great importance on the musical aspects of his films since the beginning of his career. For example, in his first three feature films (“Boy Meets Girl”, “Bad Blood”, and “The Lovers on the Bridge”), songs by David Bowie play a major role, each time accompanying some of the most iconic, meticulously crafted audiovisual scenes or sequences in the French director’s filmography. The creation of a musical, therefore, seems like a natural step forward for him—an extension of his musical passion, which was evident not only in the excellent soundtracks of his films (who doesn’t love David Bowie?) but also in his collaboration with Ron and Russell Mael, better known as the Sparks brothers. Carax even made a guest appearance in one of their songs, aptly titled “When You’re a French Director”. “Annette” can be seen as a continuation of this fruitful collaboration—since the music for the film was composed by none other than the famous American duo.

In fact, it was the Sparks brothers who conceived the entire project (they are credited not only as composers of the soundtrack but also as co-screenwriters and story authors). They had wanted to make a film musical for years, previously collaborating with figures like Jacques Tati and Tim Burton, but neither of those projects resulted in a completed film—the first due to Tati’s death, the second because the “Batman” director lost interest. Carax, therefore, was like a gift from above for Sparks: an uncompromising artist who approaches his films with a long-term vision, capable of dedicating nearly 10 years of his life to a single work. When Carax commits to a project, he does so entirely, seeing it through no matter the cost (as seen with “The Lovers on the Bridge”, a production fraught with financial difficulties and incredibly complex to execute).

Carax begins “Annette” with an impressive breaking of the fourth wall—here, the creators, including both the director and the songwriters, emerge from the studio, singing directly to the camera the rhetorical question: “So, may we start?” Leading the procession are the film’s two main actors, Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Driver plays Henry McHenry, a charismatic stand-up comedian whose act is called “Ape of God.” Cotillard portrays Ann, a delicate opera singer who continually provides audiences with the catharsis they crave by dying in the final scenes of her performances. Their intense, toxic relationship, falling apart before our eyes, leads to the birth of their daughter, the titular Annette, who possesses a magical voice.

Carax’s film is both a musical and an anti-musical, a sharp genre deconstruction reminiscent of Lars von Trier’s “Dancer in the Dark”. However, while von Trier dissected the genre through techniques like unconventional camera angles mimicking hidden-camera shots and integrating random ambient sounds into the music, as well as forgoing a happy ending in the storyline, Carax strikes a different note. His focus is primarily on self-reflexivity and disillusionment, closely intertwined. Carax constantly breaks the fourth wall, giving his characters an awareness of being watched (as seen in the deeply symbolic closing gesture of Driver’s character), and he even appears himself in a meta-cinematic role, donning his signature dark glasses and hat—attributes that liken him to another famous deconstructionist of French cinema, Jean-Luc Godard.

The disillusionment proposed by Carax also manifests in specific narrative situations. As one of the most original and daring filmmakers in contemporary cinema, Carax stages explicitly “non-musical” events on screen, such as childbirth, sex, a press conference against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, or an argument between the artist and a furious audience. Adam Driver is featured in the vast majority of the musical numbers, and his vocal abilities, to put it mildly, may leave something to be desired (especially when compared to the excellent Marion Cotillard). Yet this does not harm the film—in fact, it emphasizes the artificiality and stylization of the entire production, fitting neatly into one of Carax’s overarching goals. Moreover, Driver compensates for any vocal shortcomings with wild, almost animalistic (aptly reflecting the title of his stand-up) energy that bursts through the screen.

Amid all these elaborate formal experiments, “Annette” remains a deeply engaging film, stimulating not only intellectually but emotionally as well. The musical genre has proven to be an ideal vehicle for Carax, allowing him to fully spread his artistic wings and focus almost exclusively on cinematic language (earning him the Best Director award at Cannes!), leaving the rest in the capable hands of the Sparks brothers, consummate professionals. The result is a magnificent, utterly unique audiovisual spectacle and one of the best films of 2021.