[HanCinema's Film Review] "Danser avec Montaigne"

Director Lee Eun-ji-I came out of film school in her thirties at a bit of a loss as to what to do with her life. She ultimately ended up deciding that the best way to move forward, for the moment anyway, was to accompany her mother on a trip to France. Lee Eun-ji-I's mother, a professor who also does translation work, had been commissioned to produce a new translation of the works of Michel de Montaigne. And so it seemed that Michel de Montaigne, one of the world's most famous and influential philosophers, would help Lee Eun-ji-I figure out what she wanted to do with herself.

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That's not exactly what ends up happening. "Danser avec Montaigne" is a documentary very much in the modern reflective style. As a young person in the modern world, Lee Eun-ji-I is quite familiar with the tropes involved regarding travel, self-discovery, and the potential for such life experiences to inspire a major turnaround. It soon becomes clear that these tropes are all a bunch of hooey, as Lee Eun-ji-I's camera is often more interested in random cats rather than the life of Michel de Montaigne.

What ends up becoming much more important is the relationship Lee Eun-ji-I has with her mother. It's a very real relationship- which shouldn't be that much of a surprise, given that both Lee Eun-ji-I and her mother are real people. What is surprising is that "Danser avec Montaigne" ultimately ends up becoming a love letter to their relationship. The final credits are quite literally accompanied by a collection of heartfelt letters Lee Eun-ji-I had received from her mother.

So, what to make of all this from the documentary format..? Well, it's hard to say. There are definitely times when "Danser avec Montaigne" veers close to boring. And most of the France trip ends up taking place, not in the more visibly distinctive parts of France, but rather a translators' retreat which is where Lee Eun-ji-I's mother has been sent to work. So, what, international travel is mostly just about finding office space somewhere else?

...When it's paid for yeah, pretty much. "Danser avec Montaigne" is, again, not a documentary that takes place in the realm of narrative fantasy. For people of a certain specific class background (specifically, the edcuated class of person likely to go to film school in the first place), "Danser avec Montaigne is a very accurate representation of how work vacations really go. While better than pure work, they're only vacations in the sense that a break from routine allows for better focus on life in broad perspective.

Most EIDF films tend to hone in on very specific aspects of life- this much is to be expected from a film festival that's centered around education. "Danser avec Montaigne" breaks the mold mainly in that it's much easier to relate to. Well, for me anyway. I write for a living, and can easly empathize with translators, film students, and maternal relationships built around intellectual talk. I don't know how much appeal this documentary will have for people lacking that personal stake- but I enjoyed it at least.

This review was written by William Schwartz as a part of HanCinema's EIDF (EBS International Documentary Film Festival) coverage.

"Danser avec Montaigne" is directed by Lee Eun-ji-I