By the Sea Poster

By the Sea (2015)

Drama  
Rayting:   5.3/10 18.9K votes
Country: France | Malta
Language: English | French
Release date: 26 November 2015

A couple tries to repair their marriage while staying at a hotel in France.

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User Reviews

davey79 17 July 2019

My wife and I opted to watch this film, despite the many negative reviews, as we had just returned from a wonderful holiday in Gozo, Malta, where this "French set" film was actually filmed and thought it would be nice to see familiar scenery and locations.

We were both surprised at how much we ended up enjoying the film and the narrative. It is beautifully shot with great attention to detail, especially regarding the interiors and the fashion.

It plays like a subtle, engaging, independent French movie, that, for better or worse, has two Hollywood stars in lead roles. Had it not, I am convinced it would have earned much more positive attention. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt play their roles well, but if you dislike either, it may cloud your judgement and you will not like this film.

Watch with a positive mind :)

dave-mcclain 7 December 2015

Fmovies: What do you do when you're a Hollywood power couple? You get your passion projects made into films. (You might even choose to write and direct them yourself!) And when you're a beautiful Hollywood power couple? You cast yourselves. (It's a cinematic portrait to remind you when you're old of how good you used to look!) And when you're a beautiful Hollywood power couple who's getting married in the same region where the film you wrote takes place? Well, you make the movie on your honeymoon. (As the French say in accented English, "but of course!") This is how "By the Sea" (R, 2:02) got made.

This movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pitt – the first film in which she has been so credited and the first time the two have appeared on screen together since Jennifer Aniston's least favorite film, 2005's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", during which the aforementioned couple of stars first became a star couple. As in their previous on-screen pairing, they are in a marriage with serious issues. This time their characters are not trying to kill each other… even though it often seems that they want to. Both of these characters are joyless, self-loathing, rude and selfish. There are reasons for some of this, but the main reason is treated in the film as a dramatic reveal, rather than used to greater effect throughout the film.

The movie takes place on the French island of Corsica in the mid-1970s, where the couple is living temporarily in an up-scale hotel overlooking the water. Pitt plays Roland, the writer of a well-received first novel. He's trying to recapture his mojo, but ends up spending most of his time holding a drink. Jolie Pitt plays Roland's wife Vanessa, who is even more sullen than Roland and basically does nothing but sit around hating her life and trying to decide if she hates her husband. Roland spends his days away from their room drinking, trying to write something and talking with the owner of the hotel's restaurant, Michel (Niels Arestrup). Michel is kind and wise, not that it benefits the self-centered Roland much.

Vanessa spends most of her time in a room with no television, so she gets her entertainment by watching through a hole in the wall as their young married neighbors (Mélanie Laurent and Melvil Poupaud) enjoy their honeymoon. Roland and Vanessa both become friends with the couple, because, you know, there's nothing better for a failing marriage than peeping on a sexy young couple who have what you wish you still had and then spending time with them, in various fate-tempting combinations.

This film does tell an honest and revealing story of the dynamics of a marriage in trouble (and hints at how such a marriage might be repaired), but most of the plot is very predictable. The genuinely interesting moments are few and far between, with its slow pace making us feel that the movie is dragging us to those moments. But, hey, at least the Mediterranean scenery is nice to look at.

"By the Sea" basically amounts to a very expensive cinematic photo session for two beautiful Hollywood stars – and we get to pay to be voyeurs! Pitt and Jolie Pitt are both undeniably easy on the eyes, as are Laurent and Poupaud, all of whom we see in varying degrees of nudity (especially the women). There's also no denying that the Pitts are both very talented actors. Their acting chops are on full display in this story, but that doesn't keep the movie from coming off feeling self-indulgent. It doesn't

ferdinand1932 2 December 2015

The notes of Chopin's Prelude in E Minor at the end neatly summarizes this stale, borrowed and unoriginal film. That prelude is so over used as to be a calling card of sophomore sensibility. Then again, it fits perfectly within the overdone story: the Midi of France, of exile and difference, of finding some true self in a marriage, and of the libido and voyeurism.

The dramatic conceit - if it has one - is owed in part to Godard's "Contempt": the hat that Pitt wears is like Piccoli's in the 1963 film; a struggling writer too, together with the marriage that suffers from some tacit fault line which only the wife knows and can cure.

In "Contempt" it had another cause, in this project it is some delusion which has struck the writer in the vain belief that she can write, and consequently serve a thread of scenes which can be presented as a film.

The first half is turgid and requires some intrigue to hold attention, but instead the audience has the face of Jolie pouting behind huge sunglasses and a Bardot-style brimmed hat with the sulking expression of a 3 year old. Pitt takes over in this portion of the film and drinks heavily and mumbles French. Going to the bar is preferable to the hotel and his wife.

In the second hour the movie wakes up but seems entangled, for no other reason, in a "menage a quatre", to give it some plot and direction. It falls apart quickly though because the writing is inane. Locations, sun and sea, and some unshaven locals fill in the running time, but to be realistic, it hasn't fulfilled anything and it's been pointless.

Then Chopin's prelude is added to the closing images and we comprehend the full mediocrity of the vision.

thewildensemble 11 December 2015

By the Sea fmovies. Every year I see any number of truly great films but there is usually one that hits me on different level to other great films altogether,a deeper level.In 2013 it was Ridley Scott's "The Counsellor",last year it was Jonathan Glazer's "Under The Skin".This year it is Angelina Jolie Pitt's deeply unusual,highly erotic and incredibly well realised "By The Sea".

First things first,the talk of it being a flop.It was never going to be a hit,never.It is strange,unconventional,very dark and slowly paced.It makes no concession to the filmmaking trends of today.Second thing,the accusations of it being a vanity project.Jolie's own character is very dislikable and says and does some horrible things in the film.Also,her age and her aging beauty (as in she lets the camera show the age in her face here) play a role in the film and Jolie isn't afraid to show that whereas Melanie Laurent's character is younger,more vivacious and more innocent.It absolutely is not a vanity project.

What the film is is a work of art and a work of true directorial vision.It is a fascinating exploration of relationships,grief,voyeurism and sexual mores.It goes places you don't expect it to go to.It is both incredibly dark (though hopeful) and incredibly provocative.In terms of the erotic aspect of the story,the way Jolie handles it is astounding.The voyeurism scenes are just stunningly shot and realised and the bathtub scene is one of the most powerful scenes I have seen in a film this year.Jolie could if she chose to pursue this subject matter in the future with her directorial work be an heiress to the great provocateurs like Lynch,Kubrick,Cronenberg and Adrian Lyne.Her command of mood and tone (the film is basically a tone poem) is superb.It is at different times reminiscent of Bertolucci,Kubrick and Pinter yet is still its own hypnotic,fiercely original thing.It also has a wonderful vein of dark humour.

As for the performances,Pitt is outstanding in a tricky role and gives one of the best performances of his career.That chemistry between him and Jolie is still there as well,though used somewhat differently this time.Melanie Laurent,Mevil Poupaud and Niels Arestrup are superb in their great supporting roles.Jolie gives the best performance though.As an actress she tends to be at her best when she underplays.Her work here is incredibly subtle.It starts off as a very stylised performance with her very slow line delivery due to the narcoticized state her character spends a lot of the time in.She communicates so much by doing so little.You cannot take your eyes off her.It is also a very brave performance as her character is dislikeable and does some awful things in the film.She looks astounding in the film as well.The way Christian Berger (whose cinematography is the best I have seen in a film this year) captures her face is fascinating.It is the first time I have realised how strange (which I mean in a good way) and just how unique Jolie's beauty is and the way he captures the age on her face is just wonderful.

People may dismiss this review because of my respect for Jolie but I call a spade a spade and if the film was dreck I would say so.But it is not.It is stunning.The best film I have seen this year,it is exactly the type of unique,provocative,strange,uncompromising cinema that I love. 10/10

paul-allaer 21 November 2015

"By The Sea" (2015 release; 122 min.) brings the story of married couple Roland (played by Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (played by Angeline Jolie). As the move opens, we see them driving in a gorgeous 1960s Citroen convertible somewhere in the south of France, while Jane Birkin's "Jane B" is blasting on the radio. Roland and Vanessa find an agreeable spot close by the sea and decide to stay there. Eventually another married couple (some years younger, though) ends up in the hotel room next to Vanessa and Roland, not aware that Vanessa found a peep hole, allowing them to look in the other room. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the third movie in the last 3 years directed by Angelina Jolie (she also wrote the script), but the first one where she directs herself (and Brad). It's been exactly 10 years since Angelina and Brad co-starred (ironically also in a struggling marriage, but of a very different kind!). If it sounds from my introductory lines that a lot is happening in the movie, think again. This is an ultra-slow moving film. You would think that this would allow us to get to know these characters, but alas, that is not the case either. We know virtually nothing as to why the marriage is in trouble, and can only speculate why Vanessa seems depressed, if not worse, and why Roland is experiencing writer's block. Despite all that, the movie does find some traction in the second half, just in the nick of time, frankly. The movie's photography is drop-dead gorgeous (filmed in Malta, that stood in as the south of France). The movie features a number of big French movie stars, including Melvil Poupaud and the beautiful Melanie Laurent (as the other married couple) and Niels Arestrup (as the café tender). There is a ton of great music featured in the movie, both in the musical score, as well as French songs from that era (think Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Jacques Dutronc, Sheila, etc.).

"By The Sea" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and since I don't expect this to play in theaters very long, I went to see it right away. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended dismally (4 people, including myself). I can't say it surprised me as the vibe around this movie has not been great. I nevertheless was curious about it (due to a clever trailer, frankly). If you are interested in catching a slow-moving relationship drama that is way off-center, I encourage you this give this a try, be it in the theater (better hurry!), on VAD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.

Daniel_Skulski 20 January 2016

When you see a man or a woman giving a single star out of ten to a movie, stay away from his or hers (or maybe its, you never know - some reviews could be written by bots) reviews: they are the "talibans" of IMDb. They hate or love a movie and never appreciate it with their minds for the real value it may have or not in itself. And mostly, do not trust people who use words like "turgid" in their reviews - they are pedants.

You need a soul to understand this movie and, more importantly, you have to understand how relations are (use to be): difficult, heart-consuming and, sometimes, even strange.

Brad and Angelina played well, the images from Malta were beautifully carved in stone, and yet the movie is not a memorable one. I gave it only 7 stars out of 10.

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