[STAYING VERTICAL
screens Thursday February 23rd at 6:45 pm and Friday February 24th at 9:30 pm
at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
Well, I certainly haven't seen a movie like STAYING VERTICAL before. Described by
many reviews as some sort of comedy, I didn't laugh much, but was consistently
perplexed.
With its utterly deadpan tone, you don't realize right away
that this film takes place in a reality that is at least slightly skewed.
Instead you find yourself trying to follow what seems a relatively
straightforward plot about a screenwriter named Leo (Damien Bonnard) suffering
from writer's block.
Leo takes a drive into the French countryside to clear his
head and find inspiration. He also finds both men and women there to stimulate
his libido. He wants to make it with a young man named Yano (Basile Meilleurat),
but his advances are rebuffed. Instead he hooks up with a female shepherd named
Marie (India Hair), and eventually has a child with her.
