Review: 'Mouchette' Finds Beauty Among Atrocities

Robert Bresson was the kind of filmmaker that could compress all of eternity into a small and contained story. That, and he was also a bit of a miserabilist when it came to studying human nature, although that affection is always backed by a poetic nature. His "Mouchette," which is adapted from Georges Bernano's novel of the same name, still remains one of the finest showcases of Bresson's talents, as his documentary-style approach peers through each and every shot to reveal multitudes. It's a tough watch, yet contains so much beauty that it sometimes evades easy categorization.

"Mouchette" gets an incredible Blu-ray upgrade from the Criterion Collection, with a new 1080p presentation sourced from a new 4K scan of the 35mm camera negative. The image is incredibly clean and stable, especially when you compare it to the DVD release that had more than a few scratches and looked a bit washed out. But here, the blacks are deep and provide the stark contrast that I imagine was Bresson's original aesthetic. Even though there are no new special features to speak of, fans of Bresson and cinema in general will find much to love in this release.

Mouchette (Nadine Nortier) is a teenager living in a desolate town on the French countryside. Her pregnant mother (Marie Cardinal) is on her deathbed, and her father (Paul H�bert) is one of the many town drunkards. As she goes through her daily routine, we see the indignities thrown at her, including a shocking sexual assault by an epileptic man named Ars�ne (Jean-Claude Gilbert).

While "Mouchette" looks to be a bit of a minimalist take on the atrocities suffered by a teenage girl, Bresson evokes the entirety of human nature with each plot point. In the opening, we see a poacher hunt some rabbits, turning animalistic as he hunts his prey. Bresson's camera cuts deftly between predator and prey to reveal that life is never not chased into extinction. But yet, empathy is found within Mouchette's life, like when she flirts with a boy during a round of bumper cars.

If you haven't seen any of the special features from the previous Criterion DVD of "Mouchette," I highly recommend picking the new Blu-ray up. There's a terrific documentary featuring Bresson on the set of "Mouchette" that showcases how he approaches his narratives without storyboarding. Plus, it's a pleasure to see a master at work.

Other special features include:

� Audio commentary from 2006 by film scholar, critic, and festival programmer Tony Rayns
� Original theatrical trailer, cut by Jean-Luc Godard
� An essay by critic and poet Robert Polito
� Segment of a 1967 episode of the French television series "Cin�ma," featuring on-set interviews with Bresson and actors Nadine Nortier and Jean-Claude Guilbert

"Mouchette" is now available on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.