This is a beautiful film about a man and woman living in rural France. On one hand, it seems almost obviously to be a masterpiece. But on the other hand, I have a lot of trouble buying the portraits it presents. — Jules is ... more »a guy who doesn't say much. He doesn't get angry, doesn't feel greed or lust. He doesn't listen to the radio, he doesn't seem to think about politics, or art, or literature. He works as a blacksmith and on his farm, silently, in an apparent state of satori. Nothing gets him riled up, not even the death of his wife.
If that's what life was really like for Jules, then this is a brilliant document. But if it wasn't what life was like for Jules, then it's a strangely dishonest film with an odd agenda.