There are many of us who would argue that Claire Denis is one of the world’s 4 or 5 greatest working directors. Her original and unforgettable cinematic visions have included The Intruder, Chocolat, Nenette et Boni and Beau Travail. 35 Shots of Rum is perhaps less immediately intense than some of those unforgettable films, but just as stunningly, quietly memorable. The story here is as simple or complex as life. In a multiracial Parisian working class neighborhood, a father’s love for his daughter—and hers for him—conflicts with her need for independence. But what makes the film so telling, so striking, is Denis’ honesty, complexity of vision and acutely telling eye. “Claire Denis's latest impressionistic beauty moves in a series of flowing movements and gestures that, aided by Agnes Godard's predictably remarkable cinematography, come and go like thoughts in a poet's mind. Fluid, incisive and quietly devastating.”—Slant

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