6. Celine And Julie Go Boating (1974)
Julie is sitting on a park bench reading a book of magic spells when she spots a girl called Celine who keeps dropping things. Julie picks them up and chases Celine through the streets of Paris - sometimes far away from her and sometimes very close. When it seems the two have parted ways, they move in together. The girls swap identities on occasion. They are drawn to an old mansion and a pattern emerges where each girl takes it in turn to be swallowed up by forces in the house and then gets spit out, unable to remember what happened to them. What they do return with is a piece of candy in their mouths which they realise is a means of returning to the alternate reality of the house which contains two jealous sisters, a widower and a child in ill health. Celine and Julie realise that they can dictate what happens in the narrative and begin to engineer a happier outcome than that originally dictated. A nice, gentle surreal comedy, Celine and Julie Go Boating plays with the theme of magic. Julie's Tarot cards are afforded a special significance and Celine is a stage magician. The movie particularly points out the magic times of childhood and a shared imagination which Celine and Julie have. The actresses who play Celine and Julie have excellent chemistry together - easily swapping roles and fooling people. The idea of going back into your childhood to change the past is a potential Freudian minefield, but the film is deft in keeping the tone light. At three hours long, it is quite a daunting prospect to sit through the movie. I must say it starts off slowly, but if you stick with it, it will drag you into its web and fascinate you. It is the playful surrealism that makes the movie great.