Eva (2018 film)

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Eva
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBenoît Jacquot
Screenplay byBenoît Jacquot
Based onEve
by James Hadley Chase
Produced by
  • Marie-Jeanne Pascal
  • Mélita Toscan du Plantier
Starring
CinematographyJulien Hirsch
Edited byJulia Gregory
Music byBruno Coulais
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 17 February 2018 (2018-02-17) (Berlin)
  • 7 March 2018 (2018-03-07) (France and Belgium)
Running time
102 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Belgium[1]
LanguageFrench
Box office$1.2 million[2]

Eva is a 2018 romantic drama film written and directed by Benoît Jacquot, based on the 1945 novel Eve by James Hadley Chase.[3] Starring Isabelle Huppert and Gaspard Ulliel, the film tells the story of a young fraudster who causes the death of a girl who loves him because of his obsession for an older high-class prostitute. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.[4][5]

Plot[edit]

Bertrand, a handsome young man who works as a male prostitute in Paris, leaves an elderly writer dead in his bath and steals the typescript of his just-finished play. Selling it to a publisher as his own work, it proves a success. Both the work and the apparent author greatly impress the publisher's assistant Caroline, who soon has Bertrand sleeping in her flat.

The pressure is now on Bertrand to write a follow-up, and he retreats to a mountain chalet to work. There he meets an older woman who completely fascinates him. This is Eva, who lives in her husband's elegant house and works as an expensive prostitute. She says her husband is on a prolonged business trip, but it is revealed to viewers that he is in jail. Obsessed by the enigmatic character of Eva and the things she tells him, Bertrand tells his publisher that she will be the subject of his next work. The publisher secretly books a session with Eva to see if she is real.

Caroline, sensing that Bertrand is avoiding her, turns up secretly at the chalet and finds Eva in the bath. Rushing away in despair, she crashes her car and is killed. Bertrand goes secretly to Eva's house, where a stranger beats him up so thoroughly that he is hospitalised. When released, he sees Eva in the street with a man viewers know is her just-released husband. She signals wordlessly to Bertrand to keep away.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Principal photography began on 23 January 2017 with filming wrapping on 10 March 2017, taking place in Paris, Lyon and Annecy.[6][7]

Release[edit]

The film had its world premiere in the Competition section at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival on 17 February 2018.[8][9] It was released in France on 7 March 2018.[10]

Reception[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 14%, based on seven reviews, and an average rating of 4.9/10.[11] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[12]

David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a grade of C−, writing: "Stuck between a high-class thriller and a trashy Cinemax wank, Benoît Jacquot's latest feature ultimately offers the pleasures of neither."[13] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Eva slides off the rails during a denouement that goes full on B-movie without much credibility."[14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Eva". Cineuropa. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Eva (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  3. ^ Baronnet, Brigitte (2 December 2016). "Isabelle Huppert et Gaspard Ulliel dans un remake d'Eva pour Benoit Jacquot". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  4. ^ Clarke, Stewart (18 December 2017). "Gus Van Sant's 'Don't Worry' Among First Berlinale Competition Titles to Be Unveiled". Variety. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Berlinale 2018: Benoit Jacquot, Gus Van Sant, Alexey German Jr., Małgorzata Szumowska, Philip Gröning, Thomas Stuber, and Laura Bispuri in the Competition / Isabel Coixet and Lars Kraume in the Berlinale Special" (Press release). Berlin International Film Festival. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  6. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (1 December 2016). "Isabelle Huppert back with Benoît Jacquot for Eva". Cineuropa. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  7. ^ ""Eva" de Benoît Jacquot sera distribué par Europacorp". Le Film français (in French). 2 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Eva". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  9. ^ Schaefer, Stephen (18 February 2018). "68th Berlinale hits & misses". Boston Herald. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Eva". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Eva (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Eva". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  13. ^ Ehrlich, David (18 February 2018). "'Eva' Review: Not Even Isabelle Huppert Playing an Irritated Prostitute Can Save this Limp Melodrama — Berlinale 2018". IndieWire. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  14. ^ Mintzer, Jordan (17 February 2018). "'Eva': Film Review | Berlin 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 November 2018.

External links[edit]

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