The Frame

It’s many films in one, which is probably why I enjoyed it. If it had been just the overwrought love story between Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas it would have been nothing special. If it had been just the story of Juliette Binoche nursing a burned-beyond-all-recognition Fiennes it would’ve been dull. If it had been just Binoche and Naveen Andrews in a cross-cultural relationship, awaiting the end of the war, it would’ve been meh. But throw all three of these together, along with gorgeous cinematography (I’ve always been partial the terrible beauty of the desert), an especially effective (and Oscar-winning) turn by Binoche, and the well-structured multiple-flashback narrative, and you’ve suddenly got a very beautiful and affecting film.
Well Above Average