Final Rating: 1.5/5
In the wake of any global event, countless pieces of media are made to reflect what life was like during it, how life changed after it, how generations remember it, and the moments leading up to it. The COVID pandemic was so impactful to the film industry that in addition to movies about it, it forced the industry to function in a different way while the world was at the height of its susceptibility to the virus. Suspended Time from Olivier Assayas takes place during the early days of COVID as a film director, his girlfriend, his brother, and his brother’s girlfriend experience the intense isolation at that time.
Assayas is no stranger to making films about characters involved in the film-making business. His breakout hit Irma Vep (1996) follows an actress (Maggie Cheung) stranded in France who doesn’t know French. Then a decade ago, Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) followed an actress (Juliette Binoche) coming face to face with a younger version of herself as she aged into a different set of acting parts. However, this time around, Assayas turns the camera inward and explores himself in a piece of autofiction.
Paul, the aforementioned film director played by Vincent Macaigne is an Assayas stand-in–Macaigne also starred in an Irma Vep limited series as a film director. He ventures home during the early days of COVID with his girlfriend, Carole (Nora Hamzawi) who is also a filmmaker, specializing in documentaries. They’re joined by Paul’s brother Etienne (Micha Lescot) and Etienne’s girlfriend Morgan (Nine d’Urso).
For the exceeding majority of the film, these are the only four characters that enter the frame. Life in 2020 was restricted in ways very few people were familiar with. Homes became cages. Paul, however, is hoping his creativity can blossom under these confined conditions.
It doesn’t take long before the percussive proximity of these four characters leads to old arguments resurfacing. Tiny annoyances crescendo like a bad sitcom b-plot. While the cast is more than capable of delivering what the script is asking of them, most of the building tensions never fully release.
But Suspended Time doesn’t seem interested in examining familial relationships, anyway. Assayas is examining his own mind and, by extension, the minds of others who went through similar turmoil at the same time. Look no further than comedian/writer/director/actor Bo Burnham’s Inside that tackles similar themes. The two projects originate from similar points, but the paths they take and destinations they arrive at are vastly different.
Outside of the expected pandemic moments, the film meanders through conversations about music and cinema. The highlight of the film is the music. It’s lovely and lilting, beautifully accompanying the otherwise droll plot unfolding on screen.
The crux of the matter is that very little happens in Suspended Time. It’s as slice of life as a film can get, reminiscent of Richard Linklater except without the feeling of progression for the characters. As the title indicates, time is suspended. The characters are stuck in stasis, growing irritated and restless without changing. They engage in petty bickering and verbosely discuss various musical artists. Those seeking more depth and detail may be disappointed to find it buried so far beneath the surface that it’s as likely to not exist at all.
The one element of the film that felt like Assayas was onto something was when Paul would have video sessions with his therapist. He receives them at the base of a tree further secluded from the already locked down house where he and the others are living. To need sanctuary and privacy during a time when that’s all many people had is a beautifully depicted sense of irony. Unlike the pressure cooker-driven nature of the jabs and fights that break out between the characters, these therapy sessions show something a little different than one might expect when viewing a film that takes place during the pandemic.
Olivier Assayas has written and directed a slew of high quality films that benefit from the evolution of their central characters. Even Irma Vep, which is thoroughly unconcerned with its story and more focused on metatextual themes, remains engaging throughout. Unfortunately, Suspended Time’s lack of dynamic elements is unable to convert the mundanities on screen into anything other than a mundane viewing experience.
Thank you to Music Box Films for the screener.
