#4 - STUBBORN by Amiel Hostiou

Une Histoire Américaine (France)

A French man travels to New York to desperately attempt a re-unification with his ex-girlfriend. Despite their encounter at the start of the film being a nice, final date, he refuses to accept that it is all over. There is a wave of impulsive realism that acts as a strong force in this character driven film. Furthermore, its car crash comedy welcomed by lead actor Vincent Macaigne's exhibiting of outrageously clownish antics, conceals a painful degradation that takes his character relentlessly down a path of self-destruction. 

Amiel Hostiou's second feature directorial effort Stubborn is a film about love, but a mercilessly emasculating film about its pathological side more than its romantic one. This fact is further proved by an abrupt third act, in which the atmosphere drastically changes, and the time for laughs seems long gone. 

The creative use of influences from films of the French New Wave and the American New Wave can also be noticed by the film's feeling of impulsiveness, which itself seems to also make use of a good deal of improvisation. Mauro Herce's handheld cinematography also conveys Stubborn's urban feel, which enhances the fact that the city of New York and its impact on the storyline, is important and reflective of the deep inner struggles experienced by its leading character.

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