1,000 Times Good Night

Studio: Film Movement
Directed by Erik Poppe

Oct 21, 2014 By Zach Hollwedel Issue #51 - September/October 2014 - alt-J

Rebecca (Juliette Binoche) is a world-renowned war photographer. After surviving a suicide bomber’s attack in the Middle East, she returns to the U.K. to recover at home with her husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and two adolescent daughters. Realizing the aggravation her perilous career causes her family, she quits her job. Rebecca remains drawn to her risky work, though, and a bonding trip to Kenya with her teenage daughter causes her to reexamine her priorities.

Binoche is strong as a woman who inhabits an ethical gray zone that places her in morally questionable situations. However, the character’s lack of maternal drive and sensibility make her extremely difficult to sympathize with, especially considering her goal is to reconnect with her family. Director Erik Poppe’s film features cinematography that is artsy without being alienating, but the same cannot be said for his protagonist.

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