Let The Sunshine In is a rare thing these days: a sexy, sophisticated, grown-up treat. Eschewing the woozy visual aesthetic of Beau Travail, Claire Denis’ most verbose movie yet, an elegant, spry romcom with perceptive things to say about fiftysomethings striving to find happiness when it seems in short supply. If it makes a great double bill with Mia Hansen-Løve’s similar Things To Come, it also feels like Let The Sunshine In is channelling Nancy Meyers, a piquant reflection on ‘What Women Really Want’. Denis doesn’t give any answers; but the exploration is funny, touching and compelling.
The film starts mid-sex. Fiftysomething artist Isabelle (Binoche) is in bed with boorish married banker Vincent (an excellent Xavier Beauvois), but it doesn’t seem for keeps (“You’re charming,” he bluntly tells her, “but my wife is extraordinary”). It’s the first in a number of affairs Isabelle embarks on: there is a troubled actor (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a sensitive artist (Alex Descas), a mistaken recoupling with her ex- husband (Laurent Grévill) who freaks her out by bringing porn moves into the bedroom, and a hot guy (Paul Blain) she pulls in a bar during a blissful trademark Denis dance scene to Etta James’ At Last. For Isabella, the ‘At Last’ is never permanent.
Denis and screenwriter string these snapshots of desultory dalliances into a loose, freewheeling narrative. But it’s funny too. A scene where Isabelle explodes on an artistic retreat at the pretentious ramblings of her colleagues about affinity with the countryside is hilarious.
The filmmaking is straightforward but perfectly poised. Denis also allows herself one moment of play. In the film’s final scene, Isabelle visits a new-age relationship therapist (a surprising cameo by a French Acting Legend) who, like seemingly every male character in the film, starts to hit on her. As the scene builds, Denis cheekily starts the end credits, keeping the conversation going after all the little copyright symbols and disclaimers have finished. It’s an experimental end-note that baffles/surprises in equal measure. Not only can the men in Isabelle’s life not commit to her, it seems the film of her life can’t either.
Of course, as with anything she appears in, the film’s ace card is Binoche. A rare chance for the actor to show her comedic chops, her smart, generous, courageous performance nails every one of Isabelle’s colours, from unreadable to sexually voracious, tentative and emotionally alive. It’s a tour de force but a subtle, nuanced one, and elevates Let The Sunshine In from a good film to a great one.