Let the Sunshine In Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Let the Sunshine In Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 22, 2019

Claire Denis' "Let the Sunshine In" (2017) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original U.S. trailer for the film; exclusive new interview with director Claire Denis; exclusive new interview with Juliette Binoche; and a short film. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Stephanie Zacharek and technical credits. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

I don’t understand the attraction. What type of emotional void can a woman fill in with a married man who openly tells her that she can’t possibly be part of his future? Also, the man is so cynical that he is exactly the type of walking embarrassment any woman should try to avoid. At least initially, however, Isabelle (Juliette Binoche), a lonely Parisian artist, keeps coming back to her ‘lover’. He takes her out for drinks, has sex with her, and then discards her as soon as he is ready to resume his ‘normal’ relationship with his wife.

The younger guy that Isabelle attempts to date is equally problematic. He is an actor and also married, but on the verge of leaving his wife because the two have somehow used up everything that once made their relationship worth preserving. It is over, he tells Isabelle, and he is definitely going to part ways with his wife. Definitely. He knows it. It is just that he hasn’t found the right time to tell his clueless wife yet. Isabelle likes him, but she can’t name what makes him special. However, she can instantly identify everything that he does that annoys her.

A third lover who for years has played a role in Isabelle’s life also appears out of nowhere and immediately convinces her to go to bed with him. But then he does something repulsive that makes her realize that he is trying to perform, not make love to her. It is one of the strangest scenes in the entire film because it is so, so obvious that for a long time the man has been a performer. The words that he utters instantly reveal his game. When Isabelle asks him to give back the keys to her apartment that he has had for years, he is the one that looks visibly upset that their relationship is over. How can you blame him? He was getting exactly what he wanted -- even when he was married to her.

The next man in line does have something in common with Isabelle -- he is also a loner and desperately looking for someone, or something, to restore balance in his life. But for him love is just a nuance, something that eventually he would be able to figure out, and maybe even learn to effortlessly tolerate. Does Isabelle have the patience to understand what he needs?

The rest of Claire Denis’ film rehashes the same cycle. The faces change, but at the end Isabelle is still miserable and unable to comprehend why she keeps failing her expectations with men that do not understand love like she does. Even the sex becomes frustrating and she begins ignoring opportunities that in the past she would have enthusiastically pursued. She is so miserable that it is actually painful to watch.

But it is very, very difficult to feel bad about Isabelle, and I did not. Why would I? Here is a very intelligent and attractive woman who persistently tries to start a meaningful relationship with men of different ages that do not have an available spot for her in their lives. They tell her so, in her face. But instead of changing her strategy Isabelle only changes the faces of the players that keep bringing more of the same -- misery and drama. Is it really so difficult to walk away and start from scratch?

Denis has done some hugely impressive work in the past, but Let the Sunshine In is clearly a misfire. Binoche is left alone to struggle with an odd character that is simply unwilling to put her life in order again, and after a while it becomes a bore to watch her contemplate her disappointing choices. The long conversations where the obvious, and very simple, reasons for her misery are being explained quickly become unbearably pretentious as well. It is not that complicated to see the big picture, and the longer the film argues the exact opposite, the more superficial it becomes.

Let the Sunshine In Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.60:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Claire Denis' Let the Sunshine In arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The release is sourced from the same remaster that British label Curzon/Artificial Eye worked when it prepared this Region-B release of the film. Also, as I suspected the gamma levels on the other release were slightly elevated during the encoding process, while here they are set properly. Quite predictably, delineation and depth are outstanding; clarity is also very impressive. Density is terrific, but this is a quality that virtually all such recent films boast. Color look natural, nicely balanced, and stable. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Let the Sunshine In Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All of the basic characteristics of the lossless track are excellent. I am fairly certain that the lossless track fully replicates the digital audio master that was created for the film's soundtrack was mixed, so the terrific quality is entirely predictable. The English translation is excellent.

Let the Sunshine In Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an official U.S. trailer for Let the Sunshine In from Sundance Select. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Claire Denis - in this new video interview, director Claire Denis explains how Let the Sunshine In materialized and discusses Juliette Binoche's character and the dilemmas she is presented with. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• Juliette Binoche - in this new video interview, Juliette Binoche discusses her involvement with Let the Sunshine In and some of her character's strengths and weaknesses. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• Voilà l'enchaînement - presented here is a short film directed by Claire Denis, based on a text by novelist Christine Angot. Made while Denis was teaching at the French school Le Fresnoy -- Stiudio national des arts contemporains in 2014, Voilà l'enchaînement stars Norah Krief and Alex Descas. In French, with optional English subtitles. (31 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Stephanie Zacharek and technical credits.

Let the Sunshine In Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When the final credits of Claire Denis' new film appeared, I felt that I had missed something crucial. Why was Isabelle with these men in the first place? The banker, in particular, is the classic version of a man that gives all other men a bad name. This is the type of person that you wish to have as a partner and start a new life? I am sorry, I don't buy it. And the long discussions that supposedly explain Isabelle's strange choices are completely unconvincing and superficial. I enjoy and own many of the films that Denis and Juliette Binoche have made throughout their careers, but Let the Sunshine In is a huge disappointment. SKIP IT.