A Couch in New York

A Couch in New York is a Belgian- French-German comedy film directed by Chantal Akerman in the year 1996.

Action

The New York psychoanalyst Henry Harriston and the Parisian dancer Beatrice Saulnier exchange information via a display their homes without being to meet in person. Both flee their life contexts: The fun-loving, little chaotic Beatrice is haunted by her admirers. Henry feels burned out and can no longer bear his patients. He is stuck and bored, lives in compulsive order and has a fiancée from the upper class, whose life is focused on externals. Beatrice comes to New York City and is flat and therapist's office, while Henry moves into Beatrice's Paris apartment and is immediately observed suspicious of their rejected lovers.

Beatrice finds himself unwittingly in the role of the therapist again and "treated" patients Harristons as its holiday cover. Actually, she listens only friendly and silence. The treatment-experienced friend Anne explains to them that psychoanalysts emphasize particularly important sets of patients by hawking or filler words such as " aha " or " yes -a". This applies Beatrice intuitively; but it is actually therapeutically successful by their heat, facing awareness and their Einfühlsvermögen: The patient is doing noticeably better, even the dog of the psychoanalyst, and the plants grow so luxuriantly " as in the jungle ".

Henry has landed in his role as a therapist in Paris - he must listen to the unhappy lover of Beatrice. So he flies back to New York. At the entrance he sees one of his patients and is surprised to discover that the man looks happy as ever. When he wants to join his practice, it keeps Beatrice's friend Anne, who plays receptionist for a patient and initially dismisses him.

Henry does not clear the error, but agreed under a false name call and make an appointment. On the own couch he is silent; he is confronted with his desolate inner life and its deadlocked situation. He can expose this situation, however, because he feels: Beatrice has just the interest in people, he can no longer feel as a therapist. Beatrice is always herself, sincere, compassionate and direct. Henry but are not to be seen but agreed to new meetings. He seems to take himself and his life more important again. He also deals with the rift between his humble origins and its present secure and luxurious life. In the therapy sessions with Beatrice, but also on the way to the elevator and in a dramatic search for the dog to be both more familiar. The viewer senses and both speak it to their friends also: You have fallen in love. But Henry is still the "Patient John Wire".

He does not dare to confess his love to her - she believes he can see in it only the therapist. As such, they may not already be in love with a patient tells her friend. Sadly, she flees to her home in Paris. Henry follows her, is in front of her at the airport and promptly snapped her off the court, so they have to take a later machine. So he is - again as a lodger - in front of her in her apartment, and while he water the plants on the balcony, Beatrice enters from the apartment of a friend from the neighboring balcony from where they heard Henry and John Wire, but can not see. During their dialogue through the hedge from balcony to balcony where Beatrice him - the therapist from New York - told that she had fallen in love with the patient John Wire and therefore leave New York, Henry is finally recognized. The path through the stairwell is too long - Beatrice wants a direct route over the railing in his arms, and Henry admits that he had brought back her apartment in disarray and her nightgown extra- again thrown to the ground so that she could feel comfortable.

Background

The film was shot in New York City, Paris, and in Potsdam- Babelsberg. The costumes designed Edith Vesperini and Stéphane Rollot.

Reviews

Jack Sommersby complained to efilmcritic.com how bad it was to see two talented actors in " something so unspielbarem ".

The magazine TV directly, however, wrote that the film was "charming" and had " a lot of deeper meaning ."

Awards

Chantal Akerman won in 1996 a prize at the International Film Festival Karlovy Vary and was nominated for another award this festival.

France 1996 in film Screenplay Film score Dietrich Lohmann Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
94432
de