Watching 'Paris, I love you' - a serie of vignettes filmed by a selection of international directors - brings back the pleasure of the fine art of short stories. The genre is not in fashion, which is a shame. The format is not commercial enough; the demand not high enough.It is time to read again Edgar Allan Poe, Maupassant, or Stephan Zweig...and many others. They capture in a few pages the essential, the core of what makes a story and characters. There is no room for approximation, all parts of the story need to be sharp.
'Paris, I love you' ends with a deceivingly simple vignette. A middle-aged American woman reads to her French class the story of her six days spent in Paris. While she is reading, the camera capture the images of her trip. It is a whole life that has been put in this story. Unsaid, however exquisitely suggested. In six minutes, the character unveils almost her whole lofe story, alternating humour and emotion. It is extrordinary simple and yet complex enough to touch deeply.
The movie has high and lows, but there are a few jems to enjoy. Here is a taster. Long life to short stories!
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