Being human Director Varnier is not the most prolific director. Everything he touches turns into gold. Whether it is “French Woman” – the embodiment of sensuality, longing, eroticism, or the Franco-Russian “East-West” – the personification of drama, the film is subtle, complex, and, I will not fear this word, one of the greatest in its genre, or a masterpiece from the masterpieces of “Indochina” – everything that Varnier creates is marked “quality”.
His films are never...how to put it...as straight as a stick. They're like good perfumes -- one scent, then you feel something else, and then you open the core. Or like a kaleidoscope, turn around and the picture will be different. So Varnier's movies - you can see one facet, you can see 2, you can see 5. I would probably compare him to Mani Ratnam in this regard.
This film covers many topics, it would be long and tiring to write about all of them, who would want to see and see for himself. I'm going to point out the brightest thing that runs through the film is what it's like to be human. Is it the mind, or perhaps the ability to use it, or education, or education? What makes a person human? How is it different from an animal? When does a person cease to be human? When a human being ceases to have the right to be called a human being, when he does not know how to use a fork and a knife, or when he has neither morality nor a drop of compassion, when he is ready to do anything for his own purposes? Painting portraits Director Varnier knows better than others.
And, of course, it is terrible that in fact the whole of human civilization is the fruit of the inhuman and uncivilized. How many died on the altar of science? How many are still dying?
All in all, an amazing film with a delightful cast, brilliant directing and a great script.