This film has it all: philosophical voiceover, English spoken with a cute French accent, people running through the streets naked, a wedding, Swan Lake, an ageing grandpa, an interracial couple, lesbians, the Eurostar, an Apple Powerbook...
I'm talking about "Russian Dolls", the not-at-all-disappointing sequel to "L'Auberge Espagnol" (The Spanish Apartment), a French film I saw in 2003 during one of the 'Cinema Nights' at INT. I remember "L'Auberge" well because in Paris, Priya and I were both experiencing some of the same stuff that happened in the film, stuff that inevitably happens when you mix different cultures together and throw in language barriers and frustration to the power of ten. The sequel though, is less about finding out who you are, and more about figuring out what you want to do with your life and finding someone to share it with.
I thought it was a weird, stupid title until the very end of the film, when Xavier, the French dude, said this: "I think all the girls I've known or slept with or just desired, they're like a bunch of Russian dolls. We spend our lives playing the game, dying to know who'll be the last. The teeny, tiny one hidden inside all the others. You can't get to her right away. You have to follow the progression. You have to open them one by one, wondering, 'Is she the last?'."
This photo was taken by Helen in June 2005, on the train back to Milan from Bologna. We missed the last train back to Milan that night, and after killing four or five hours, we took the first train out in the morning, along with hundreds of kids leaving some rock concert...hence the homeless-style sleeping you see on the floor of the carriage behind me. We got back to Milan at 7am. Just thinking about that night makes my neck feel sore.
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