Actor-auteur Maïwenn bills herself last in the principal cast credits for “DNA,” adding the distinguishing curlicue of an “and” citation when her name eventually pops up on screen. On the one hand, it seems a courtesy to the formidable ensemble of her fifth feature as director, stacked as it is with stars from Fanny Ardant to Louis Garrel to Marine Vacth — all on fine, uninhibited form in a dysfunctional-family drama that frequently demands maximum volume from them. Yet the modesty seems coy in a film that eventually becomes a magnified, almost impenetrably personal star vehicle for Maïwenn herself, inspired by her own investigation of her diverse cultural identity. Despite her plainly impassioned investment in the project, and some intense, raucously entertaining scenes of intimate warfare along the way, “DNA” becomes less engaging as its focus narrows.
Despite premiering in low-key fashion at the Deauville American Film Festival — somewhat ironically, for...
Despite premiering in low-key fashion at the Deauville American Film Festival — somewhat ironically, for...
- 9/21/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
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