Let the Sunshine In

Isabelle (Juliet Binoche) is a Parisian artist and divorced mother of a 10-year old. Since her divorce, she has had a string of unfulfilling affairs with married men, thinking she will find true love. She is still searching in “Let the Sunshine In.”

Laura's Review: C+

Robin's Review: C+

Director Claire Denise has had an eclectic filmmaking career where some of her works excel (“Beau Travail (1999)”) and some, to me, do not (“Trouble Every Day (2001)”). “Let the Sunshine In” is in the latter category. The story, by Denise and Christine Angot, from the book by Roland Barthes, follows Isabelle through her affairs with characters I dubbed A**hole #1 and A**hole #2. #1 is married and has no intention of leaving his wife and finds pleasure in telling Isabelle so. #2 is also married but is planning on leaving his wife – without telling her. This sets the tone for the type of guy that Isabelle is attracted to. But, Isabelle feels that true love is an elusive thing and fears that she will never find it. The problem I have with her character is that she, apparently, does not have a clue of what she wants. Her life has been one of bad decisions, particularly with men, and the thing that she thinks she really wants, she does not pursue. This is apparent when she begins an affair with a man not of her circle and she makes more bad decisions. I never sympathize with Isabelle, which is a big problem for me. Her string of bad decisions and worse, her indecisions, make me not care for or about her. I expected, as the film begins, that she would do something to change her life’s unsatisfying direction, but she never does. Because of my lack of emotional involvement with Isabelle, I cared even less about those around her. I expected more from a collaboration between Denise and her star, Binoche, but I was disappointed and, worse, uninvolved.