Two ex-lovers discuss music, love and tenderness in director Rita Azevedo Gomes’ innovative feature adapted from the play by Éric Rohmer.
“Le Trio en mi Bémol” was the only theatrical play written by Rohmer, a French New Wave film director known for his focus on characters and conversation rather than plot. True to form, his play consists of a series of encounters and conversations between two ex-lovers who remain close. The title translates in English to the Trio in E Flat, or the Kegelstatt Trio, a well-known Mozart piece for clarinet, viola, and piano. Rohmer was inspired by the work of music, and it serves as a key point of connection and discussion for the two ex-lovers in the play.
Portuguese director Rita Azevedo Gomes largely maintains the original structure of the play, but expands upon it in an innovative and, at times, mischievous approach to make it her own. Although Gomes doesn’t add much by way of plot, reinforcing the focus on character, she does make a couple of significant narrative changes that incorporate extra cast members in a small but impactful way.
In the opening minutes of the film, during the first encounter between ex-lovers Paul (Pierre Léon) and Adélia (Rita Durão), we discover that Gomes is employing the film-within-a-film technique. Paul and Adélia are awkwardly interacting with each other one year after their breakup when, offscreen, the director yells cut. Jorge, the director (played by legendary Spanish filmmaker Adolfo Arrieta), and his crew move into view, and the two actors take a break while Jorge and the film crew restructure the scene. We watch the ex-lovers’ scene play out again, this time from an entirely different shooting angle and with the two characters noticeably more relaxed as they engage in conversation. It speaks volumes to how much the impact and meaning of a scene can shift given a change in direction—a nod, perhaps, to Gomes’ process to adapt the source material and make it her own.
The film-within-a-film approach doesn’t retract from the main storyline of the two ex-lovers but rather exists parallel to it, occasionally infringing on the story in a playful manner. The technique is used subtly, without much dialogue or particular focus given to the crew members. Throughout the film we observe Jorge contemplate and rewrite scenes, sometimes spying on the two actors as they practice lines together. Other times we watch scenes play out twice—once ‘in rehearsal,’ and once during a ‘real’ shoot. More often than not, however, Paul and Adélia’s intimate conversations take centre stage as they discuss their deep connection to the titular Mozart piece, their shared past, the difference between love and tenderness, and Adélia’s current romantic entanglements.
It becomes clear that Paul is still in love with Adélia, but Adélia’s own feelings are ambiguous for much of the film. Nevertheless, Paul remains hopeful and he continues to listen to Adélia discuss her frustrations with current (and former) romantic partners.
At times the film becomes repetitive and a bit tiresome as we are almost entirely restricted to Paul’s beach house and the two main characters for company, aside from the occasional “behind the scenes” interlude with the filmmaker and his crew. Paul and Adélia’s conversations become rather circular, which makes us lose interest. It’s a problem for a film that relies on those character interactions to drive the story without much plot help.
In respect of its origins and in a playful approach that adds layers and depth to the original material, Gomes’ adaptation incorporates both theatre and film. In addition to the film-within-a-film technique, O Trio uses careful choreography and set design, as well as a static camera to evoke theatrical staging. At the same time, Gomes cheekily reminds us of the filming process, such as when an intimate moment between Adélia and Paul is abruptly interrupted by the film director, or when Jorge demands they must start all over again to “get it right.”
O Trio em mi Bemol had its world premiere at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.