Like the fabric that shares its name, the film Silk is beautiful to behold. But strip away the sweeping vistas of snow-topped Japanese mountains, the verdant European gardens and little else remains – director Francois Girard’s languid creation, based on the novel by Alessandro Baricco, is more like a moving painting than a movie.
Actor Michael Pitt, whom some may remember as the Kurt Cobain-esque character Blake from Gus Van Sant’s Last Days, looks dreadfully bored onscreen as 19th century French silkworm merchant Herve Joncour. When the silkworms in Herve’s village become diseased and begin to die off, he’s employed by businessman Baldabiou (Alfred Molina) to embark on a dangerous mission to Japan to smuggle more back to Europe.
Before leaving though Herve weds beautiful schoolteacher Helene (Keira Knightley), who wants to start a family but is willing to wait for his return. Complications arise when Herve arrives in Japan and falls under the spell of a baron’s concubine (Sei Ashina). Over several trips to the country, each one seemingly longer and more perilous than the last, Herve and the Japanese beauty (credited only as The Girl) engage in a clandestine affair.
Pitt’s lack of emotion isn’t the only problem with the onscreen interpretation of lead character Herve – his motivation for getting into the relationship with the concubine isn’t made clear. And though he’s supposed to adore his doting wife Helene their scenes together are surprisingly cold.
Knightley, on the other hand, rarely disappoints and her performance as the suffering wife is very good. Molina does a decent job with the unremarkable role of Baldabiou, whose scenes with Herve essentially involve giving him his marching orders regarding the next overseas trip.
Koji Yakusho and Michael Pitt in a scene from Silk
Girard’s film is lovely, there’s no denying that, and cinematographer Alain Dostie made the most of his locations, among them Nagano, Japan, Turin, Italy, and Worcestershire, England. A scene in a mist-shrouded hot springs is particularly remarkable.
On the surface Silk’s story has everything going for it: romance, lust, betrayal, and danger. It’s incredible, given all that, just how arduous it is to get through. It’s a less-than-two-hour film that felt like four. And after sitting through all that melancholy and plodding action, the supposed payoff is not nearly reward enough.
Posted by Cate Jones
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Silk (* out of 5)
Rated: R
Starring: Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Alfred Molina, Sei Ashina
Directed by: Francois Girard
Written by: Francois Girard, Michael Golding (screenplay), Alessandro Baricco (novel)
Related links: Official site, IMDB page, trailer on YouTube
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