June 13th, Movie 14

The film I am using for the June Swoon today is a film that is very divisive. I have heard people say this is a horrible movie and that they hate it and I have heard people say it was their favorite movie of 2021. So when Annette popped up on Amazon Prime earlier this year, I immediately placed in on my list to watch during June.

Henry McHenry (Adam Driver) was a controversial stand up comedian who met opera singer Ann (Marion Cotillard) and they fell in love. They get married and become the international “it” couple. Ann gave birth to their daughter Annette, things took a bizarre twist. Annette was shown as a puppet, and the marriage hit a rocky stretch where she winds up dead.

The film is a musical, with most of the dialogue coming through in song. The music, written by the Sparks, was remarkably energetic and enjoyable. I found myself joining in with some of the lines that were repeated. The third act song between Henry and Annette was just powerful and exceptional. The rest of the soundtrack was fantastic and helped create that same surreal feel of the film.

Adam Driver is outstanding as Henry McHenry. He created a character that elicited such a feeling about him. While his singing skill is only okay, he can present other emotions and feeling through his facial features and his body language.

The visuals in the film are beautiful and are staged with perfection. There are a bunch of great dramatic scenes as well, including one between Adam Driver and Simon Helberg.

I certainly can see why some people may not love this movie. I could even see why they might hate it. It has its share of bizarre moments that can be considered dreamlike or uncanny. It is a dark romantic musical that I enjoyed.