Tu dors Nicole (2014) Reviews

• Nicole's Ennui

  larrys32015-11-19

  Beautifully shot in black and white, and set during the summer in a town in Quebec, this film is intentionally slow-paced as it tracks the ennui of its main character Nicole. The sexy young woman, ably portrayed by Julianne Cote, is trying to navigate herself through such early adult experiences as relationships with men, trying to cope with a most boring job, and getting her first credit card, on which she promptly books a trip to Iceland with her best friend Veronique (Catherine St-Laurent). With her parents away on vacation, Nicole has been left to look after their house, along with her much older and rather depressive brother Remi. He's constantly conducting jam sessions in the home with his band mates, which is not helping Nicole's insomnia any. I think one's enjoyment of this movie will depend on how long the viewer is willing to wait, with its very deliberate pacing, for the comedic nuggets to appear. I thought there were some very funny scenes, while others didn't work as well, and appeared too flat-toned and even tedious, at times. All in all, the deadpan and quirky humor here only is partially successful, in my opinion. The film is written and directed by Stephane Lafleur.

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• Deeply atmospheric and haunting

  Red_Identity2015-12-29

  I definitely expected something different than what I got from this film. On the surface, it's a simple premise, a seeming coming-of-age tale of a young woman in the brink of adulthood and her feelings about growing up. A lot of the film works in the quiet though, all of the performances are incredibly understated but very effective (even more effective than the lead actress is Marc-Andre Grondin, who really shows us the loneliness and yearning to stay a certain way). Many will not take to the film, which is understandable because it's not at all plot driven by any means. However, it's only as it goes on that you really feel like you are watching something special, most evident when the extraordinary ending comes.

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• Wonderful

  zetes2016-02-02

  Odd but wonderful Quebecois film about a young woman, Nicole (Julianne Côté), who is spending a lazy summer at her parents' house while they're away. Much of the time her best friend (Catherine St-Laurent) is hanging out with her, and her brother and his two band members also spend most of their time there, practicing. The mood of this film is quite different: it's very quiet, relaxed. You really get the sense of the ennui of Nicole's existence. Many will find it slow, but I found it both lovely and sad. It's also quite funny. Maybe not laugh-out-loud funny, but slyly amusing. The cinematography is a crisp black and white. I loved it.

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• Nicole Needs to Sleep Through This Film.

  anaconda-406582015-06-16

  Tu Dors Nicole (2014): Dir: Stephane Laflear / Cast: Julianne Cote, Marc-Andre Grondin, Catherine St-Laurent, Francis La Haye, Simon Larouche: Boring Canadian film with a title that translates to You're Sleeping, Nicole. She is sleeping and it is allowing her summer to escape. Her name is Nicole, and she is played by Julianne Cote. She is a young adult watching the house while her parents are away but is disturbed when her older brother drops in with his band to record an album. Tension rises when she cannot find peace and quiet and struggles to maintain any sleep schedule. Catherine St-Laurent plays her best friend whom she hopes to spend time with but she becomes distracted by the boys in the band. Marc-Andre Grondin plays Nicole's brother whose band has trouble maintaining a drummer due to his inability to get along. One of his band mates is awaiting to become a father any day now. His new drummer strikes up a few quiet moments with Nicole where she sews his pants. She is an issue all her own. She steals from the thrift shop she works at. She struggles to unlock her bicycle chain. The funniest encounter involves a male tween she babysits who has a crush on her. His voice is deep and adult completely misleading his small stature. Unfortunately the screenplay is dull with director Stephane Laflear often lingering on objects for no apparent reason. The black and white presentation is slick but the music is lousy sounding like something emerging from a jack-in-the-box. While the theme stresses a summer fully going south on this female, the screenplay goes south so fast that viewers are likely to go to sleep. Score: 5 / 10

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• the atmosphere

  Kirpianuscus2018-04-09

  ...is the lead virtue and good motif for see it. because, at the first sigh, the story do not exist. a young woman levels to self discover. dialogues, plans, relations, experiences. and, in final, answers. to herself. about life, the others, forms of happiness and ways to escape from the borders of a deep crisis. all in a seductive film, seductive for the grace of Julianne Cote performance and for a sort of minimalism who is the right prize for a part of public.

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