Almayer’s Folly 2011
Distributed by Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Chantal Akerman, Patrick Quinet, Serge Zeitoun
Directed by Chantal Akerman
DVD , color, 127 min.
Middle School - General Adult
Family Relations, Films
Date Entered: 02/22/2017
Reviewed by Tom Ipri, St. Joseph’s UniversityBased on the novel by Joseph Conrad, Almayer’s Folly charts the declining psychological stability of Almayer, a European man living in a remote area of Southeast Asia. Having been promised a life of wealth exploiting the natural resources in the area, Almayer had agreed to move to the area and marry a local woman. The promised riches never materialize, his wife grows more distant, and his adult daughter leaves with a man Almayer does not approve of. Almayer obsesses over his daughter’s whereabouts and well-being.
Featuring Akerman’s trademark slow-pacing and long shots, Almayer’s Folly is often visually arresting. However, the introspective nature of the film makes it a frustrating experience. Character motivations are often unclear and interactions are staid and unemotional.
Akerman places Conrad’s 1895 novel in contemporary setting which pushes the focus from the historical implications of colonialism to the psychic interior of its main character.
Almayer’s Folly is a well-crafted film and may reward the patient viewer. However, the main audience for this film would be Akerman devotees and fans of Conrad’s novel.